AP Photo/Cliff Owen via Houston Public Media
Dr. Steven Hotze, president of Conservative Republicans of Texas, speaks at a Restrain the Judges news conference, while Janet Porter of Faith2Action listens at right, in front of the Supreme Court in Washington in 2015.
Attorney and former judge Jay Karahan has known Dr. Steven Hotze since the 1990s. And for just as long, he’s had firsthand experience of Hotze’s influence in Harris County politics.
The two had begun interacting in 1996, when Karahan was running for office and seeking Hotze’s endorsement.
“As I was moving up in Republican politics back then, it was made very clear to me that a Republican would not be able to become a judge unless they had Steven Hotze’s approval and blessing, if you will,” Karahan said.