White announces candidacy for Smith County Court at Law No. 3

Published 9:39 am Saturday, June 19, 2021

Attorney Clay White announced his candidacy for judge of Smith County Court at Law No. 3 on Friday morning in the Smith County Courthouse.

White, a shareholder at his law firm White-Shaver, P.C. in Tyler, is running as a Republican in the March 2022 primary race. He is a board-certified personal injury attorney with 30 years of experience.

“I’ve been in courtrooms all across our great state, I’ll use this vast experience and the respect I’ve gained for the judicial process to be a fair, knowledgeable, and impartial judge, who will interpret the law as it is written and never legislate from the bench,” White said.

White thanked his friends and family for attending the campaign announcement Friday, adding he’s excited for the support as the campaign begins.

He said he’s got the experience as a trial lawyer, including handling thousands of cases, that the court needs.

“We need strong conservative judges and we need lawyers who will put themselves out there to be a judge,” White said. “I have managed thousands of cases in my career, and I’ve taken over 250 cases to a verdict in front of Texas juries. I developed an expertise in the type of administrative and management skills it will take to absorb the caseload of this court. It is vital to reduce court and jail backlogs.”

He’s looking forward to the opportunity to serve in the area where he and his wife raised their kids.

He has been married to his wife, Jonette, for 37 years and they have three adult children. White is involved in the Deacon Ministry at First Baptist Church, and formerly served on the Grace Community School board, where he also served as board president. He was active in the sports his kids played and served as president of the Boys and Girls Club of Tyler.

White holds a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing and obtained a master’s degree in deaf education from Lamar University. He is fluent in American Sign Language. He earned a law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1988.

Ramey & Flock lawyer Steve Spitzer introduced White by noting the candidate’s experience of being a part of over 200 trial cases as a trial lawyer.

“He’s been through the trenches,” Spitzer said. “Clay has a great judicial temperament.”

Spitzer added White is a Christian conservative who represents Smith County values well.

If elected, White said he will also support law enforcement and protect all constitutional rights.

“My duty is to uphold the principles of law best described in Micah 6:8. Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly,” White said.