The district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction of Texas. District courts have original jurisdiction in all felony criminal cases, divorce cases, cases involving title to land, election contest cases, civil matters in which the amount in controversy (the amount of money or damages involved) is $200 or more, and any matters in which jurisdiction is not placed exclusively in another trial court. While most district courts try both criminal and civil cases, in the more densely populated counties the courts may specialize in civil, criminal, juvenile, or family law matters.
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Occupation
Criminal Defense Lawyer
I am a product of Fort Worth ISD. I went to William James, North Side High School, and stayed in Fort Worth to attend TCU. I graduated with a B.A. in English, and double minors in Political Science and Criminal Justice. I earned my J.D. from Texas Tech in 2005. While I began as a prosecutor, I have spent the last 18 years defending the rights of those accused.
In college, I researched if drug courts worked to reduce recidivism in an internship in D.C. Between that and practicing in multiple counties, I have seen a lot of what works and what doesn't. Being the lawyer standing between a person accused and the full weight and resources of the State of Texas means that you get to view your client in the fullness of their humanity in a way a single career prosecutor never can. I am focused on the dignity and humanity of every person in the court.
A judge who is committed to fair access to justice needs to make sure that indigent defense attorneys are adequately paid, and given the resources they need in terms of experts and investigators to zealously defend their clients. We also need dedicated mental health professionals on the streets, at the jails, and present in courts to make sure that mental health issues are treated as the medical issues they are. Nothing is fair unless it is fair to the most vulnerable of our neighbors.
Efficiency is not solely a matter of speedy trials. A speedy trial is worthless if the defense counsel has not had the necessary resources to prepare, or if the prosecutors are still delivering evidence days before trial is to begin. It is not efficient to be swift in producing unfair legal outcomes.
Primarily, I do not rely on other criminal justice lawyers to fill my coffers. The colleagues who have donated to me have either done so because they sought out the opportunity, or are personal friends. I will never use my position at the bench, and the resulting access to contact information of every lawyer who comes to court, to personally solicit donations from the people who would appear before me. That is not the current situation in Tarrant County.
Pretrial release and community supervision conditions exist for the safety of the community, to ensure the defendant comes to court, and to encourage rehabilitation. The payment of those fees does nothing to aid those purposes, or to promote change. Defendants should not go broke trying to stay in compliance.
