Thomas Brian Price, known as Tom Price, is a departing judge of the nine-member Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to which he was first elected in 1996.
Education
He attended Highland Park High School in University Park, Texas, and served in the United States Marine Corps during the early stages of the Vietnam War. He graduated from East Texas State University, now Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University–Commerce in Commerce, Texas.
Career
He is only the third person from Dallas to have thus far served on this court of last resort in criminal appeals for the state of Texas. In 2015, he will be succeeded in his Place 3 position by his fellow Republican, Bert Richardson. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Price moved to Texas in 1957, when he turned twelve years of age.
In 1970, he received his legal degree from Southern Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
After four years in private practice, Price was elected in 1974 as judge of the Dallas County Criminal Court Number. 5 and served for three four-year terms, during part of which he was the presiding judge of the court.
In 1986, 1990, and 1994, he was elected to the 282nd Criminal District Court, of which he was also the presiding judge. From 1991 to 1996, he was the chairman of the Community Justice Council Committee, in which capacity he was instrumental in the site selection, building, and administration of the Dallas County State Jail Facility, the largest institution of its kind in the state.
Similarly, he worked to bring to fruition the Dallas County Judicial Drug Treatment Center.
He defeated his intra-party challenger, Cheryl Johnson, a native of Columbus, Ohio, who was practicing law in Austin. Price received 128,363 votes (572 percent) to Johnson"s 95,941 (428 percent) in a runoff election. Price then unseated the Democratic incumbent, Judge Frank Maloney, 2,745,701 (538 percent) to 2,358,371 (462 percent).
In 2000, Price unsuccessfully challenged fellow Republican Sharon Keller for the post of presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, a position which Keller still holds.
He polled 101,514 votes (452 percent) to Keller"s 122,958 (548 percent). In 2002, Price ran for his second term on the Court of Criminal Appeals.
In a runoff election for Place 1, he defeated challenger Tim Taft, 121,039 (577 percent) to 88,566 (423 percent). In the November general election, Price defeated a Democrat, John West. Bulletin, 2,493,440 (577 percent) to 1,692,773 (391 percent).
Two other candidates held the remaining 3.2 percent of the ballots cast.
In 2008, running for Place 3, Price defeated still another Democrat, Susan Strawn, 3,949,722 (516 percent) to 3,482,718 (455 percent). The remaining 2.9 percent of the ballots casts went to the Libertarian Party nominee.