Keith Judd
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox criminal
| name = Keith Russell Judd
| image_name = File:Keith Russell Judd Mugshot.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption = Judd’s Mug shot, 2013
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|5|23}}
| birth_place = Pasadena, California, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| charge = Threatened extortion
| conviction_penalty = 210 months in federal prison
| conviction_status = Supervised release
| occupation = Perennial candidate
| spouse =
| parents =
| children =
}}
Keith Russell Judd (born May 23, 1958) is an American convicted criminal and perennial candidate for political office.{{cite news |last1=Gutierrez Krueger |first1=Joline |title=Ex-candidate gets 17 years in prison |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-albuquerque-tribune-ex-candidate-get/142111907/ |access-date=26 February 2024 |work=The Albuquerque Tribune |date=28 September 1999 |pages=3}} His nicknames include "Dark Priest"Dana Milbank, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mourdock-and-judd-vs-washington/2012/05/11/gIQA3EKGIU_story.html Richard Mourdock and Keith Judd vs. Washington], The Washington Post, May 11, 2012. and "Mtr. President".{{cite web |url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/1557 |title=Keith Judd's Biography |website=Vote Smart |access-date=2021-08-02}} He claims to have run for president of the United States in every election since 1996. In the 2012 Democratic primary in West Virginia, Judd won 41% of the vote against incumbent Barack Obama, then the highest single-state vote share that any of Obama's primary opponents had achieved in 2012.
Early life
Judd was born May 23, 1958, in Pasadena, California. He is married and has professed to be a Rasta-Christian. Judd has claimed to be a former member of the Federation of Super Heroes.
He has claimed to have run in every United States presidential election since 1996. He ran for mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1993 and 1997 and for the Republican nomination for Governor of New Mexico in 1994.{{cite news |title=Musician Joins Race for Mayor's Job |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-musician-joins-race/142111513/ |access-date=26 February 2024 |work=Albuquerque Journal |date=3 July 1997 |page=E2}}
{{Asof|November 1997}}, Judd was listed as a third-year business student at the University of New Mexico (UNM).{{cite news |last1=Bellard |first1=Gene |title=UNM Police Commit Man To Hospital After Arrests |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-unm-police-commit-ma/142117995/ |access-date=26 February 2024 |work=Albuquerque Journal |date=12 November 1992 |page=E1}}
{{Asof|1999}}, he claimed to be self-employed as a musician and bandleader and to suffer from bipolar disorder.
Outside of his political campaigns and his music career, Judd has also occupied his time with vexatious litigation. At least two of his appeals have been considered by the Supreme Court of the United States. In a per curiam opinion in 1999, the Court noted that he had filed a dozen frivolous petitions for certiorari and extraordinary writs in the federal courts in the span of a few years.{{cite court |litigants=Judd v. United States District Court for the Western District of Texas |vol=528 |reporter=U.S. |opinion=5 |pinpoint= |court=Supreme Court of the United States |date=October 12, 1999 |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=7861626519817469115&q=judd+528+us+5&hl=en&as_sdt=3,33 |quote=We also direct the Clerk not to accept any further petitions for certiorari or petitions for extraordinary writs from Judd in noncriminal matters ... Judd has abused this Court's certiorari and extraordinary writ processes ... The instant petition for certiorari thus brings Judd's total number of frivolous filings to 12 ... The order will, however, allow this Court to devote its limited resources to the claims of petitioners who have not abused our processes. |postscript= }}
Crime
In November 1992, Judd was arrested after threatening UNM administrators and student newspaper staff with guns and being questioned by the United States Secret Service related to the visit of a Vice Presidential candidate to the school. Judd was expelled from the school, banned from campus, had two guns confiscated and was committed to the UNM Hospital's mental health facility.
In 1999, Judd was convicted of two counts of "mailing a threatening communication with intent to extort money or something of value"[http://skeptisys.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/texas-prisoner-keith-russell-judd-gets-his-name-listed-on-idaho-democratic-primary-ballot-with-obama-clinton/ Texas Prisoner Keith Russell Judd Gets His Name Listed On Idaho Democratic Primary Ballot With Obama, Clinton] and sentenced to 210 months (17½ years) in federal prison. The conviction has been falsely connected to litigation involving UNM which was a civil rights complaint he initiated.{{Cite court |vol=52 |reporter=F.3d |opinion=337 |court=10th Cir |litigants=Judd v. University of New Mexico |url=http://openjurist.org/52/f3d/337/judd-v-university-of-new-mexico |date=April 17, 1995 |access-date = 2015-12-29}} His actual crime involved postcards that stated "Send the money back now, Keith Judd, Last Chance or Dead." and a package containing a semen-stained Playboy, a knife inside the magazine, a key chain, and his father's military discharge papers. He also sent letters to jurors after his trial.{{Cite web|title = United States v. Judd, - CourtListener.com|url = https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/23819/usa-v-judd/|website = CourtListener|access-date = 2015-12-29}} He has appealed his conviction no fewer than 36 times, but each appeal has been dismissed for various reasons.[http://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2000/02/99-2008a.htm 99-2008a -- Judd v. University of New Mexico -- 29 February 2000]
Judd was released in June 2013 on a supervised release program. In October, his probation office sought a warrant for his arrest for violating the terms of his supervision. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, with another 24 months of supervised release. He has since been released a second time under supervision.{{cite court |litigants=U.S. v. Keith Russell Judd |court=Fifth Circuit |date=November 4, 2014|url=http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions%5Cunpub%5C13/13-51152.0.pdf}}{{Cite news |last1=Raby |first1=John |title=After 2012 stunner, ex-con makes another White House run |url=https://apnews.com/article/2bf59c17a35f421ba18a484ebf0ec6b4 |work=AP News |access-date=2021-05-27}}
Presidential candidacies
As a perennial candidate, Judd has thrice run for president in the Democratic Party's primaries, in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Each time Judd has managed to qualify to be included on the ballot of at least one Democratic Party primary or caucus.
=2008 Democratic presidential primary campaign=
In the 2008 presidential election he filed to run as a Democrat in 14 states but only appeared on the ballot in Idaho.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-16-texas-inmate_N.htm|title=Texas inmate cons way onto Idaho ballot|date=April 16, 2008|work=USA Today|access-date=April 6, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/a-con-for-america/Content?oid=936202|title=A Con For America|date=April 9, 2008|work=Boise Weekly|access-date=April 6, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2008/04/17/third-choice-on-idaho-democratic-presidential-primary-is-a-prisoner/|title=Third Choice on Idaho Democratic Presidential Primary is a Prisoner|date=April 17, 2008|work=Ballot Access News|author=Winger, Richard|access-date=April 6, 2012|author-link=Richard Winger}}
Judd finished third in the May 27, 2008, non-binding Idaho Democratic presidential preference primary with 1.7 percent of the vote, behind Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.[http://www.sos.idaho.gov/ELECT/RESULTS/2008/Primary/tot_stwd.htm May 27, 2008 Primary Election Results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416030919/http://www.sos.idaho.gov/elect/RESULTS/2008/Primary/tot_stwd.htm |date=April 16, 2009 }} No delegates to the Democratic National Convention were at stake in the primary as Idaho's delegation was determined at the February 5 Democratic caucus, which Judd unsuccessfully contested.{{cite web|url=http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/inmate-candidate-sues-dems/Content?oid=937055|title=Inmate candidate sues Dems|last=Hoffman|first=Nathaniel|date=June 18, 2008|work=Boise Weekly|access-date=April 6, 2012}}
Below is a table of Judd's performance in the primaries.
| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|+ Primary results | ||||||
| scope="col" | Date
! scope="col" | Contest ! scope="col" | Votes ! scope="col" | Place ! scope="col" | Percent ! scope="col" | Delegates ! scope="col" | Source(s) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | Idaho caucus | 0 | 4th of 4 | 0.00 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/ID-D.phtml The Green Papers] |
| colspan=2 align=center|Total | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
=2012 Democratic presidential primary campaign=
File:Second-place candidates in the Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2012.svg
Legend:
{{legend|#FF8C00 |Keith Russell Judd}}
{{legend|#FF0000|Ron Paul}}
{{legend|#00FFFF |Darcy Richardson}}
{{legend|#800080 |John Wolfe Jr.}}
{{legend|#800000 |Randall Terry}}
{{legend|#808080|Uncommitted/other}}
{{legend|#000000|No second-place finisher}}
{{legend|#D3D3D3|No primary held/ no info available}}]]
Judd filed to run for president again in the 2012 general election.{{cite web|url=http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/bayou/2011/07/06/keith-russell-judd-would-be-presidential-candidate-sits-in-a-beaumont-prison/|title=Keith Russell Judd: Would-be Presidential candidate sits in a Beaumont prison|date=July 6, 2011|work=Beaumont Enterprise|access-date=April 6, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303113224/http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/bayou/2011/07/06/keith-russell-judd-would-be-presidential-candidate-sits-in-a-beaumont-prison/|archive-date=March 3, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.wvrecord.com/news/236704-texas-prisoner-says-he-should-be-on-2012-ballot|title=Texas prisoner says he should be on 2012 ballot|last=Asbury|first=Kyla|date=July 6, 2011|work=West Virginia Record|access-date=April 6, 2012}} Running again for the Democratic nomination, Judd only qualified for ballot status in the West Virginia primary.{{cite web|url=http://www.register-herald.com/local/x1940319654/Texas-convict-on-W-Va-ballot-for-president|title=Texas convict on W.Va. ballot for president|last=Porterfield|first=Mannix|date=March 27, 2012|work=The Register-Herald|access-date=April 6, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/bayou/2012/03/27/hail-to-the-chief-beaumont-resident-on-the-ballot-in-west-virginia/|title=Hail to the chief! Beaumont "resident" on the ballot in West Virginia|date=March 27, 2012|work=Beaumont Enterprise|access-date=April 6, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512021517/http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/bayou/2012/03/27/hail-to-the-chief-beaumont-resident-on-the-ballot-in-west-virginia/|archive-date=May 12, 2012}} On May 8, 2012, Judd won 41% of the vote against incumbent Barack Obama, a higher percentage of the vote in one state than any other primary opponent of Obama had hitherto achieved in 2012 (a figure later surpassed by John Wolfe, Jr.'s showing in the Arkansas primary).{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/05/08/meet_keith_judd_the_death_row_inmate_winning_delegates_against_barack_obama.html
|title=Meet Keith Judd, the Superhero Inmate Winning Delegates Against Barack Obama|author= Weigel, David|work=Slate
|date=May 8, 2012|access-date=May 9, 2012|author-link=David Weigel}}{{cite news|title=Texas inmate wins 41% of vote vs. Obama in West Virginia primary|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-texas-inmate-wins-41-of-the-vote-against-obama-in-wv-primary-20120509,0,1956772.story?track=rss|author=Little, M.|newspaper=LA Times|date=May 9, 2012|access-date=May 9, 2012}} While this showing would normally have entitled Judd to delegates at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, state officials expressed some uncertainty as to whether Judd had completed the required formalities, such as filing a slate of delegates and completing paperwork.{{cite web|title=Keith Judd, Texas Inmate, Gets 40 Percent Of Votes Against Obama In West Virginia Democratic Primary | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/08/keith-judd-texas-inmate-g_n_1501761.html?ref=elections-2012 | author= Messina, Lawrence|work= The Huffington Post|date= May 8, 2012|access-date=May 9, 2012}} Judd, who did not qualify for any other primary ballots, contested the ballot count, alleging that ballot workers suppressed the actual total (which he said showed him in the lead) in an effort to cover up an Obama loss.Kabler, Phil (May 28, 2012). [https://archive.today/20130105134407/http://www.wvgazette.com/News/PhilKabler/201205250148 Statehouse Beat, May 27, 2011: Judd claims he won]. Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
Below is a table of Judd's performance in the primaries.
| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|+ Primary results | ||||||
| scope="col" | Date
! scope="col" | Contest ! scope="col" | Votes ! scope="col" | Place ! scope="col" | Percent ! scope="col" | Delegates ! scope="col" | Source(s) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1 | West Virginia primary | 73,137 | 2nd of 2 | 40.65 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/WV-D The Green Papers] |
| colspan=2 align=center|Total | 73,137 | 3rd | 0.89 | 0 |
=2016 Democratic presidential primary campaign=
[[File:Keith Russell Judd ballot access 2016.svg|thumb|right|Map showing Judd's ballot access in the 2016 Democratic Primaries
{{legend|#008000|On ballot}}
{{legend|#D3D3D3|Not on ballot}}]]
Judd sent a handwritten note to the FEC announcing his 2016 presidential candidacy as a Democrat on August 16, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/311/14031290311/14031290311.pdf|title=Keith Russell Judd Miscellaneous Report to FEC|date=August 16, 2014|work=FEC|access-date=October 20, 2015}} He filed his official documents with the FEC in September 2015.{{cite web|url=http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/652/201509250300023652/201509250300023652.pdf|title= Keith Judd FEC filing|date=May 23, 2015|work=FEC|access-date=October 20, 2015}} As of January 1, 2016, Judd had been officially added to the ballot in the Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Texas Democratic Primaries. {{Citation needed|date = January 2016}} On January 12, 2016, Judd's paperwork was filed to be on the primary ballot in West Virginia.{{Cite web|title = WV SOS - Elections - Candidate - Online Data Services|url = http://apps.sos.wv.gov/elections/candidate-search/|website = apps.sos.wv.gov|access-date = 2016-01-20}}
Below is a table of the primaries Judd competed in, and his performance in them.
| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|+ Primary results | ||||||
| scope="col" | Date
! scope="col" | Contest ! scope="col" | Votes ! scope="col" | Place ! scope="col" | Percent ! scope="col" | Delegates ! scope="col" | Source(s) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 9 | New Hampshire primary | 44 | 12th of 28 | 0.02 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/NH-D The Green Papers] |
| rowspan=2|March 1 | Texas primary | 2,569 | 6th of 8 | 0.18 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/TX-D The Green Papers] |
| Oklahoma primary | 4,386 | 4th of 7 | 1.31 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/OK-D The Green Papers] | |
| March 5 | |Louisiana primary | 1,357 | 7th of 10 | 0.44 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/LA-D The Green Papers] |
| March 15 | Missouri primary | 288 | 8th of 9 | 0.05 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/MO-D The Green Papers] |
| May 10 | West Virginia primary | 4,450 | 4th of 6 | 1.85 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/WV-D The Green Papers] |
| rowspan=2|June 7 | California primary | 5,506 | 6th of 7 | 0.16 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/CA-D The Green Papers] |
| North Dakota caucus | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/ND-D The Green Papers] | ||
| colspan=2 align=center|Total | 20,305 | 7th | 0.07 | 0 | [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P16/D The Green Paper] |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.voiceforinmates.com/inmates/keithjudd11593051.htm Judd's Site at Voice for Inmates]
{{United States presidential election, 2008}}
{{United States presidential election, 2012}}
{{United States presidential election, 2016}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Judd, Keith Russell}}
Category:American extortionists
Category:American prisoners and detainees
Category:Politicians from Pasadena, California
Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government
Category:Candidates in the 2008 United States presidential election
Category:Candidates in the 2012 United States presidential election
Category:Candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election
Category:People with bipolar disorder