AUSTIN, TX – Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Jack Hightower weighed in today, endorsing Keith Hampton for Presiding Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Hightower joins Hampton’s endorsement from Judge Morris Overstreet, the first African-American elected statewide, announced two weeks ago.

“I have known Keith almost his whole life,” said Hightower, who knows Keith from his hometown roots in his district (Burkburnett, Texas). “He was voted best qualified by my fellow lawyers and judges, and won Lawyer of the Year just in the last five years. He is an accomplished lawyer and legal scholar, and I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t vote for him.”

Justice Hightower served the Texas Supreme Court for almost ten years before retiring. He has previously served as District Attorney, Texas State Senator, and Congressman for a North and West district spanning 33 counties, from Wichita Falls to Amarillo.

“Keith is exactly the opposite of a judge who would legislate from the bench,” said Hightower. “As a former lawmaker at both the Texas Legislature and Congress, I can confidently assure voters that Keith Hampton will respect the lawmaking process and would be an exemplar of judicial restraint.”

Former President Bill Clinton appointed Justice Hightower to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and Hightower’s papers now reside in the Baylor Library, depositing over 2,700 autographed books from John Quincy Adams to George W. Bush.

Hampton is running against Judge Sharon Keller, the incumbent judge who was condemned by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and punished with the largest fine in Texas history by the Texas Ethics Commission for her actions in a death penalty case.