Judge, Texas Criminal Court of Appeals: Six-year term. The Texas Court of Appeals is Texas’ highest court for criminal cases. The Court includes a Presiding Judge and eight Judges, each of which is elected by voters of the entire state. The court must review all cases in which the death penalty is assessed. It also exercises discretionary review in other criminal cases and issues rulings about wrongful imprisonment. Current annual salary range: $168,000 to $211,680
I have over 33 years of criminal law experience as a district judge, prosecutor, public defender, and criminal defense attorney, trying cases and arguing appeals, including death penalty cases.
Transparency is key to the public's trust in the judiciary. Aside from accurate and timely reporting to the Ethics Commission, a judge should make the parties aware of any potential conflicts of interest, either personal or professional, however slight, and let the parties decide if they wish to ask the judge to recuse herself. As a district judge, I have recused myself when necessary.
The most pressing challenge facing appellate courts is the length of time it takes for a case to go through the appellate process. Delays occur at every turn, and victims of crime and defendants deserve a swift but thorough examination of the trial record and applicable law and a thoughtful appellate opinion addressing the issues raised in the case. Panel opinions could clear more cases quickly.
As a sitting district judge, people come before me facing the most difficult situations of their lives. Crime victims, defendants, their families, and their attorneys are looking to me to set the tone. I treat everyone with respect, I allow everyone to have their say, and I fully consider the arguments of both sides. You may not agree with my decision, but you will know that you were heard.
Representing Texas in this court has been my job for 15 years. Few people have comparable experience: over 125 petitions for review, over 100 briefs, and 26 oral arguments in this court alone.
We're blessed to be able to elect (and un-elect) judges. I have a long record of advocating for what the law requires, not what I would prefer. The voters will ensure that I keep my promise to continue enforcing the law as written.
Although the court has found many novel ways to reverse convictions in the last few years, the biggest problem is the time it takes. The average time it took the court to review a decision and issue an opinion was over 500 days last year. It used to be under 200. You fix this by electing people who've spent their careers analyzing complex legal issues in 30 days or less. That's me.
Justice through law enforcement. In a system of law, judges are not empowered to do whatever they think is fair or right in a given case. They must apply the law as written. If the law is properly interpreted and the result is not what the legislature intended, it is the legislature's job to rewrite the law. Judges should have the humility to accept their limited roles and limited wisdom.
