Sup. Ct. 3: Green on Top, but Runoff Certain

As of early Wednesday morning, Rick Green has barely broken from the crowd of six GOP candidates vying for the open spot on the High Court, and a runoff is guaranteed. What's unclear is who his opponent will be — Rebecca Simmons, Jim Moseley, and Debra Lehrmann are all hovering close behind. It's likely Jeff Brown, who narrowly trails those three, won't make the cut. The only clear loser of the night is Rick Strange, who didn't keep up with the pack.

After Justice Harriet O’Neill announced in August that she wouldn't seek re-election, five Republican judges and one former state legislator jumped into the race for her spot on the high court.  Those judges are Moseley of the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas, Simmons of the Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Antonio, Brown of the 14th District Court of Appeals in Houston,  Strange of the 11th District Court of Appeals in Midland and Lehrmann of the 360th Judicial District in Fort Worth.

The former legislator is Green, who represented the Dripping Springs area in the Texas House from 1999 to 2003 and has no judicial experience. The libertarian-style campaign of Green has earned the endorsements of Chuck "Walker, Texas Ranger" Norris and conservative lawmakers including state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, and state Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center. Green is also cozy with the Aledo-based organization WallBuilders, a group that wants to close the gap between church and state, and advocates for other causes that preserve America's "moral, religious and constitutional heritage."