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Tanner Neidhardt, an adjunct professor at Texas State University and a local judge, is accused of breaking state law by asking his students to vote for him, The Texas Tribune reported.
Neidhardt allegedly asked Texas State students to vote and campaign for him on campus, offering a free T-shirt and pizza to volunteers, according to records shared with the news outlet.
“I’ve always told you that you will make a difference in the future of our justice system,” he wrote in an email obtained by The Texas Tribune. “In fact, you can make a difference right now. When you support a judge committed to a better justice system, I can keep working to improve it.”
Neidhardt was appointed to the judicial post in 2022 by Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican. His term expires at the end of December, making this the first time the incumbent has campaigned for re-election.
Neidhardt has taught a course on courts and criminal procedure at Texas State since fall 2023, according to his LinkedIn page, which shows he previously taught at the University of Texas School of Law as well.
Contacted via the platform, he did not respond to a request for comment.
Chevo Pastrano, a lawyer for Neidhardt’s opponent, Alicia Key, told The Texas Tribune he had filed a legal complaint against the judge and urged Texas State to fire him from his faculty role.
“When you sign up for a class, it’s not on the syllabus that you’re going to be propositioned to support a campaign for the guy who’s got control of your grade at the end of the semester,” Pastrano said.
