VOTE411 Voter Guide

In Law school I participated in the Innocence clinic. I learned the importance of fair justice by talking to people who I believed were actually innocent. I then interned for a local criminal defense attorney (Jim Sims) who taught me the importance of listening and caring for people and encouraged me to be a prosecutor.

I went on to become a prosecutor in Harris County and left as a misdemeanor chief to be a public defender in the mental health unit. I am the only candidate that has experience on both sides. I believe people deserve to be heard, treated with fairness, integrity, and compassion. Justice is about accountability applied fairly without bias.

1. I want people to feel like they are heard and treated with dignity and respect. I have been informed by attorney's practicing in Harris that the current Judge often does not waive court costs for the truly indigent and as a public defender that is appalling. My plan is to waive court costs for those who are truly indigent.

2. I will ensure that prosecutors and defense attorneys have adequate time to negotiate and enter into pre-trial intervention (PTI) agreements. Attorneys practicing in Harris County have informed me that the current judge imposes very strict timelines for PTI applications, which can sometimes result in unnecessary convictions on defendants' records. My plan is to give the attorneys time to negotiate PTIs.

For the past 6 almost 7 years I have worked as an assistant public defender in Harris County. I handle cases ranging from misdemeanors to first degree felonies. I have extensive experience in the criminal courts of Harris County and I routinely attend trainings to continue being a fierce advocate. Throughout my time working as a public defender, I have learned many of the issues that affect our community. I have represented people of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds which has given me a better insight into challenges our diverse community faces. I know what it takes to make our community safer and stronger.

One of the biggest issues affecting all courts is the backlog of cases. I plan to address this by making sure that there are strict guidelines and timeframes for cases to get resolved. It is the responsibility of a Judge to set the pace for the court. I will bring fairness and efficiency to this court. Additionally, community safety is another important topic to the residents of Harris County. If elected, I will implement court conditions that will be tailored to each specific case. I will look into the issues of each case and make determinations on bail and conditions based on all the facts presented. I will be fair, respectful and impartial to everyone that comes through the court.

I have extensive misdemeanor (and felony) experience throughout Harris and many other counties. I was a criminal defense attorney for approximately ten years (2009 – 2019, when I took the bench). In those ten years I tried cases from Galveston to Fort Collins, Colorado. I was very involved in many local defense bar associations as well. I had a very heavy indigent defense docket and was on the appointment lists in Harris, Galveston and Fort Bend Counties. I am board certified in Criminal Law since 2020. Since being on the bench, I have worked very hard to keep my docket manageable and tried many cases, over 100 as a judge. I know the law and can efficiently handle a docket.

One pressing issue is making sure the O'Donnell consent decree stays in place. Currently there are efforts to dismantle that agreement which will set Harris County back and force mass incarceration of too many people. Keeping low level offenders out of the Harris County jail is smart from a fiscal standpoint as well as community standpoint. I think what we created in that decree is the right thing and hope to see it upheld in the future. A second pressing issue is to make sure that the timelines on each case are not too long so that the community and defendants feel as their cases are not being handled professionally and efficiently.