The 2026 Election Field

I don't get around to blogging much anymore, but several people have asked me this week to publish a comprehensive list of who all is running in the 2026 Election for positions in the CJC.  Here's my best shot at a comprehensive list, based on the information available from the Harris County Republican and Democratic Party websites.  Please let me know if there are any errors.

Except in some extreme circumstances, I'm not making commentary on the races right now.  I'll write something about the contested primaries as they get closer.

NOTE:  I'm not sure if the term "incumbent" technically applies to a candidate who is appointed to a bench or not, so I use the notation of "(I)" to refer to the candidate currently occupying the bench.  

180th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Allison Jackson-Mathis & Stephanie Morales.  Allison and Stephanie are both criminal defense attorneys who practice in Harris County.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Tami Pierce (I).  Judge Pierce was appointed to the bench by Governor Abbott when Judge DaSean Jones stepped down to enter private practice.

182nd DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Danny Lacayo (I) 
• REPUBLICAN-Brent Haynes.  I'm not familiar with Brent Haynes, but the State Bar website indicates that he is an Assistant District Attorney in Galveston County.

183rd DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Katie Wilson & Julia Maldonado.  Katie Wilson is a former-prosecutor and currently works for the Harris County Public Defenders' Office.  Julia Maldonado is formerly a family court judge who does not practice criminal law to my knowledge.
• REPUBLICAN-Lance Long (I).  Judge Long was appointed to the bench by Governor Abbott following previous Judge Kristin Guiney's election to the Court of Appeals.

184th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Katherine Thomas (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Heather Hudson.  Heather is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney in the Appellate Division.

185th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Andrea Beall (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Mark Goldberg.  Mark is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney assigned to RIC Court.  Readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of his.

208th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Beverly Armstrong (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Stephen Driver.  Stephen is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney assigned to the Grand Jury Division.

209th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Brian Warren (I) & Robert Johnson & Ysidra "Sissy" Kyles.  This race is kind of a wild one because Judge Warren (who is a very well-liked and respected judge by both prosecutors and defense attorneys) has not one, but two challengers in the Democratic Primary.  Robert Johnson is the former judge of the 177th District Court, where he was wildly unpopular with anyone who had the misfortune of being in his court.  He was unkind, rude, and not very well-versed on the law.  I'm not familiar with Sissy Kyles, but I believe she is a criminal defense attorney.
• REPUBLICAN-Tony Coveny.  I've never heard of this attorney before.  His website lists him as a "food poisoning attorney."  No idea why he would want to be a criminal court judge, but I will save his number for the next time I visit Chipotle.  

228th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Alyson Almaguer.  Aly is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney who is a Felony District Court Chief.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Caroline Dozier (I).  Judge Dozier was appointed to the bench by Governor Abbott following the death of Judge Frank Aguilar.

230th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Chris Morton (I).
• REPUBLICAN-Megan Long.  Megan is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney who is a Felony District Court Chief.

232nd DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Josh Hill (I) &Roderick Deon Rodgers.  Similar to the unexpected primary challenge taking place in the 209th, popular incumbent Judge Josh Hill is facing a challenge from Fort Bend County prosecutor Roderick Rodgers.  Rodgers is the husband of wildly unpopular former-338th District Court Judge Ramona Franklin (more on her later).  
• REPUBLICAN-Chuck Silverman.  As I noted in this earlier blog post, Chuck has reinvented himself more than Madonna.  He's a former-civil lawyer, former-judge, and former-Republican.  He just really really wants be a judge somewhere.  Anywhere.  Previous affiliations don't matter.

248th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Hilary Unger (I)
• REPUBLICAN-David Overhuls.  David is a former prosecutor and current defense attorney who bears a startling resemblance to John Denver.

262nd DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Lori Gray (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Nathan Moss.  Nathan is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney who is a Division Chief in the Homicide Bureau.

263rd DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Melissa Morris (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Jason Campo.  Jason is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney who is a Felony Chief in the Homicide Bureau.

482nd DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Veronica Nelson (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Bryan Honeycutt.  Bryan is Harris County Assistant District Attorney who is a Felony District Court Chief.

495th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Tiffany Hill.  Tiffany is a Criminal Defense Attorney and former Associate Judge.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Lori DeAngelo (I).  Judge DeAngelo was appointed to the bench of this newly-created court by Governor Abbott.

496th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-Michael Abner & Ramona Franklin.  Michael is a very well-liked and respected Harris County Assistant District Attorney currently serving as a Felony District Court Chief.  Ramona Franklin is the former Judge of the 338th District Court, who was defeated in her own primary in 2024.  She was a terrible judge who was known for erratic behavior such as prohibiting lawyers from entering court to stand with their clients during Covid, as well as forbidding entry to the media. After losing her bench, a bizarre hoax telephone campaign started promoting her for a Federal Bench, but that's a story for another day.  Like Robert Johnson, she is an ousted judge that nobody wants to see back on the bench.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Dan Simons (I).  Judge Simons was appointed to the bench of this newly-created court by Governor Abbott.

497th DISTRICT COURT

• DEMOCRAT-BreAnna Schwartz.  BreAnna is a former Harris County prosecutor and a current Criminal Defense Attorney.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Peyton Peebles (I).  Judge Peebles was appointed to the bench of this newly-created court by Governor Abbott.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 1

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Alex Salgado (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Erin Swanson.  Erin is a former Harris County prosecutor.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 2 (NOTE: Judge Paula Goodhart is not seeking re-election)

• DEMOCRAT-Matthew Ruben Perez.  Matt is a criminal defense attorney.
• REPUBLICAN-Matt Alford.  Matt is a former-prosecutor and a current criminal defense attorney.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 3

• DEMOCRAT-Carlos Aguayo & Anna Eady.  Both Carlos and Anna are criminal defense attorneys.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Leslie Johnson (I)

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 4

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Shannon Baldwin (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Rebecca Phillips Aceto.  Rebecca is a former Harris County prosecutor and a current defense attorney.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 5

• DEMOCRAT-Judge David Fleischer (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Stella Stevens.  Stella is a former Montgomery County prosecutor and a current defense attorney.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 6

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Kelley Andrews (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Josh Normand.  Josh is a Harris County Assistant District Attorney who is a Felony Two.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 7

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Andrew Wright (I) & Jorge Garcia Diaz & Rustin Foroutan.  Judge Andrew Wright is seeking his third term as judge of CCL # 7.  Jorge Garcia Diaz is an Assistant Public Defender in Harris County.  Rustin Foroutan is an Assistant Public Defender in Fort Bend.
• REPUBLICAN-Adam Brodrick.  Adam is an Assistant Harris County District Attorney who is a Felony District Court Chief.  He is a noted Mormon and arguably the most cheerful person in the courthouse.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 8

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Erika Ramirez.
• REPUBLICAN-Victor Flores.  Victor is an Assistant Harris County District Attorney.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 9

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Toria Finch (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Xavier Alfaro.  Xavier is a former Harris County and Fort Bend prosecutor.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 10

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Juanita Jackson (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Boa Hoang.  I am not familiar with Mr. Hoang, but the State Bar website indicates that he practices criminal and personal injury law.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 11

• DEMOCRAT- Judge Sedrick Walker (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Liz Buss.  Liz is an Assistant Harris County District Attorney who is a Felony District Court Chief.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 12

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Ashley Mayes Guice (I).  Judge Guice was appointed by the Harris County Commissioners' Court to fill the vacancy of Judge Genesis Draper, who left the bench to lead the Harris County Public Defenders' Office.
• REPUBLICAN-Anna Emmons.  Anna is a career prosecutor, having served as an Assistant District Attorney in Harris, Montgomery, and (currently) Liberty County.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 13

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Raul Rodriguez (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Amber Cox.  Amber is an Assistant Harris County District Attorney.

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 14

• DEMOCRAT-James Hu & Yahaira Quezada.  James is an Assistant Harris County County District Attorney.  Yahaira practices family and criminal and is currently an Associate Family Court Judge.
• REPUBLICAN-Judge Jessica Padilla (I)

COUNTY COURT AT LAW # 15

• DEMOCRAT-Judge Tonya Jones (I)
• REPUBLICAN-Stephen St. Martin.  Stephen is a former Assistant Harris County District Attorney and a current defense attorney.

That covers all of the criminal court benches in the CJC.  There are contested races in all of the Juvenile Benches, which handles both criminal and family court related issues.  I know only one of the candidates over there and that is 315th District Court Judge Leah Shapiro, who is a genuinely awesome human being and judge who is running for re-election.

As noted above, I will write about the contested primaries as we get closer to them.  

Other Early Criminal Court Filings for the 2026 Election

 While we are on the subject of judges and elections, there are some folks that have made some announcements (or have at least made a filing) that signal an intention to run for office in the 2026.  Here's who we have so far:

As mentioned in the last post, former-183rd District Court Judge Chuck Silverman has switched to the Republican Party and will be challenging incumbent Democrat Judge Josh Hill.

• Former Prosecutor and current Defense Attorney David Overhuls is running as a Republican for the 248th District Court against incumbent Democrat Judge Hillary Unger.
• Prosecutor Nathan Moss is running for the 262nd District Court as a Republican against incumbent Democrat Judge Lori Chambers-Gray.
• Defense Attorney Matt Alford has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 2.  I have been told that he is running as a Republican and that incumbent Judge Paula Goodhart is not running again.
• Defense Attorney Anna Eady has also filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 2.
• Defense attorney Allison Mathis has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run as a Democrat for County Court at Law # 3 against incumbent Judge Leslie Johnson.
• Former Prosecutor and current Defense Attorney Rebecca Philips Aceto has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 4 against incumbent Democrat Judge Shannon Baldwin.
• Harris County Prosecutor (and noted Mormon) Adam Brodrick has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 7 against incumbent Democrat Judge Andrew Wright.
• Harris County Prosecutor Liz Buss has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 11 against incumbent Democrat Judge Sedrick Walker.
• Harris County Prosecutor and former Judge Ashley Guice has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 12 (presumably as a Democrat).  NOTE:  This Court is about to come open as Judge Genesis Draper takes the position of Harris County Public Defender.  The County Commissioners will be appointing a replacement for Judge Draper who will most likely be a Democrat that will then run for the bench in 2026.  As of this writing, it is unclear who that person will be.
• Former Harris County Prosecutor and current Liberty County Prosecutor Anna Emmons has also filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 12.  
• Former Prosecutor, Former Defense Attorney and current Family Court Associate Judge Yahaira Quezada has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run for County Court at Law # 14 against incumbent Republican Judge Jessica Padilla.
• Current Prosecutor Michael Abner has also filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run as a Democrat for County Court at Law # 14.  
• Former Prosecutor and current Defense Attorney Stephen St. Martin has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to run (presumably as a Republican) for County Court at Law # 15 against incumbent Democrat Judge Tonya Jones.

That's all I have at the moment.  If I left anyone off the list, it was inadvertent and please feel free to correct me.

Chuck Silverman's Laughable Republican Conversion

I have to admit that I have a complicated relationship with former 183rd District Court Judge Chuck Silverman.

I first heard his name in 2014 when he ran as a Democratic challenger to Incumbent Republican Judge Denise Collins for the 208th District Court.  Back then, I wrote the following:

He lost that election, only to return again in 2018, running against Republican Incumbent Judge Vanessa Velasquez.  To be fair, I had known Judge Velasquez since my early days as a prosecutor and absolutely adore her.  She was a great judge (and continues to be a great visiting judge), and there probably wasn't anyone that I would have supported to run against her.  

But Chuck Silverman, in my opinion, was uniquely unqualified to run against Judge Velasquez.  While she had spent decades of her career solely devoted to criminal law, Silverman was a civil lawyer whose only credentials in the criminal arena were having watched a few criminal proceedings and being "mentored" by highly controversial criminal District Court Judge Randy Roll.   I wasn't shy in 2018 in expressing my disdain for his candidacy.  It wasn't personal, really.  I still believe that civil lawyers shouldn't try to become criminal judges just because, goshdarnit, they just really really want to be a judge.

But 2018 was a good year for the Dems, and sadly, Judge Velasquez lost the election and the candidate that I had said some extremely negative things about was the new judge.  I had several cases pending in the 183rd as it transitioned from the Velasquez Administration to the Silverman Administration, but that was something I knew I would have to deal with when I wrote what I wrote on the blog about him.

To his credit, Judge Silverman was very gracious about those things I had written about him.  He even joked about it with me.  He was never anything but polite and friendly when I was in his court.  He appointed me to represent more than a few indigent clients during his term on the bench.  Although I still maintained my skepticism at civil lawyers becoming criminal judges, Judge Silverman was at least nice about it.  He wasn't going to go in the Judicial Hall of Fame any time soon, but he was fine as a judge.

In 2022, Silverman lost in the Democratic Primary when he ran for re-election, being defeated by Gemayel Haynes (who went on to be defeated by Republican Kristin Guiney).  He was vocally bitter about it and most of that bitterness was directed at the Democratic Party in Harris County.  It was a little ironic coming from him.  When he had campaigned in 2018, he had been very vocal about his deep ties to County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and seemed to relish all things Dem.  After his loss, he seemed to feel that they had let him down and he felt betrayed.  Suddenly, he went from bragging about riding bikes with Commissioner Ellis to labeling Ellis as the person leading Harris County into ruin.

His Facebook posts (where we were friends) started becoming more and more conservative and they absolutely reeked of sour grapes.

A few month ago, Silverman posted something on Facebook that concerned me.  I can't find the post now, but it basically argued against the funding of indigent defense and lobbied for that money to be spent on the victims of crime.  I responded in the comments that I found that to be very contrary to how I felt he performed during his time on the bench.  I told him I thought he had been fair and honored the presumption of innocence of those before him, but his position on Facebook seemed contrary to that.  The post very much seemed to embrace the idea of "guilty until proven innocent" and it didn't seem like he wanted to offer much assistance to those who couldn't afford their own defense.  

I wasn't disrespectful in my response back then, and I don't think he took it as such.  He responded that I had misunderstood the point of his post and we pretty much left it at that.

I wasn't surprised in the least when I learned earlier this year that he had announced he was running as a Republican against 232nd District Court incumbent Josh Hill.  Following in the disingenuous footsteps of failed Democratic candidate Kimbra Ogg, Silverman had apparently decided that if one party can't get you the elected position you want, just switch to the other one.  Don't let principles slow you down any.  The Republican Party made surprising gains during the 2024 election and as of this writing, it is anyone's guess as to how that will play out in 2026.

Today, Chuck had an interesting post on Facebook:

 There's no doubting his conversion to the Republican side of things is complete.  I'm not a fan of Greg Abbott, but that's not what bothered me.  It was his captioning of "Crime has consequences.  Victims deserve justice."  I later noticed that he had the same phrase on his profile picture, along with (bizarrely) a Trademark notation.

Clearly, he's all over that Republican messaging designed to make voters feel less safe with Democratic Judges.  

But here's the problem - Judges aren't supposed to be victims' rights advocates.  They are supposed to be fair and neutral arbiters of the law.  The job description calls for that impartiality, and as a former judge, Chuck Silverman should know that.  As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure he knows that, and he's just pandering to the Republican Party mantra.  It's pretty shameless, in my opinion.  One has to wonder what his messaging would have been if he had made it out of the Democratic Primary in 2022 as the candidate on the ballot.

I wrote a comment on his Facebook post and told him that I thought it was contrary to the Presumption of Innocence and that trademarking the phrase "Crime Has Consequences. Victims Deserve Justice." was contrary to the job description for a judge.  I was respectful in my tone, but I felt that the issue needed to be addressed.

He responded by deleting my comment and unfriending me on Facebook.  Whatever happened to the Republicans being against censorship?  

But the message is important here.  How important?  Well, important enough to make me get off my ass and do a blog post for the first time in almost a year (I've been busy).

Judges aren't supposed to be Victims' Rights Advocates.  They are supposed to follow the law.  The second they don't, the whole system goes off the rails and innocent people are at far greater risk of being convicted.  It is concerning to see a judicial candidate who embraces being tough on crime rather than respecting the law.  

But Chuck Silverman's career has been one of shifting his position on whatever was most politically beneficial.  Whether he was a civil lawyer shifting to a criminal judge or Democrat shifting to Republican, Silverman seems to go wherever he thinks the voters are most likely take him the furthest.  

The 2024 Election

Monday, October 21st kicks off the Early Voting for the 2024 Election in Texas, and as always, the Harris County Criminal Justice World has some very important races on the ballot.  Although there are many uncontested judicial races this year, there are several important ones that you should be paying attention to.  Although most people vote along party lines these days, there are several races that voters should consider crossing over to vote for.

As with most years since 2008 (especially on a Presidential year), I anticipate a Democratic sweep for Harris County.  As usual, I don’t expect what I write here to change the results of any election one way or the other, but I'm happy to give my thoughts if you want to hear them.

Harris County District Attorney - Democrat Sean Teare vs. Republican Dan Simon

I don't know that even those of us who are huge Sean Teare fans foresaw the absolute drubbing that he executed against Kim Ogg in the March Democratic Primary, but it was brutal.  His 75-30 was so significant that it made Ogg switch parties for all intents and purposes.  And although Kimbra has yet to take her final bow at the Office, there is a different atmosphere in the entirety of building because all of us are so damn happy that she's finally leaving.  

The past eight years under the Ogg Administration have seen a flurry of departures of experienced prosecutors, ridiculous micromanagement, and political prosecutions that have decimated the credibility of a once formidable office.  With Ogg's exit, there is a sense of optimism that the Office is going to be a good place to work again under new leadership.  Since Ogg has let it be known that she will hold the Office in a death clutch right up until the last second of December 31st, 2024, prosecutors in that office have had to keep their enthusiasm to themselves publicly, but the excitement there is two-fold:  not only are the prosecutors excited to see Kim Ogg and her traveling circus leave town, they are very excited about the possibility probability of Sean Teare being the next elected District Attorney.

As a candidate for District Attorney, Sean is the complete package.  He's a veteran prosecutor who served under both Republican and Democratic Administrations.  He tried serious cases and knows the law.  He led important Divisions within the Office.  He worked hand in hand with law enforcement, spending countless hours on the streets, helping with investigations.  He listens and he knows how to work well with others.  He's also honest, ethical, and fair.   He's going to be an amazing leader.

By contrast, the credentials of Republican candidate Dan Simons are headed in the opposite direction.  Dan first came to the political arena in 2018 when the Republican Party decided to eat its own and run a candidate against then-County Court at Law # 8 Judge Jay Karahan.  Karahan had pissed off party officials by officiating over a same-sex wedding and the Party of Hotze just wasn't having that.  Dan stepped to the plate as the one Republican willing to run against Karahan, and he won the primary. He proceeded to be defeated that November by Democratic Socialist Franklin Bynum.

Normally, County Court at Law races are fairly dull affairs, but the battle between Simons and Karahan got pretty epic, with Karahan running a website that proclaimed Never Dan Simons.  It posted several negative evaluations Simons received while an Assistant District Attorney.  Those negative evaluations recently resurfaced in this Houston Landing article about both Teare and Simons' tenure as prosecutors.  Although I never had a personal problem with Dan when he was a prosecutor, I was aware of the questions about his character and integrity as a prosecutor.  Those matter tremendously in the race for District Attorney and they highlight why Sean is absolutely the unquestioned choice for the job.

Only a hardcore partisan Republican would even think of voting for Dan Simons in this race and they would have to hold their nose to do so.  Sean Teare is the clear choice in this race.

Recommendation:  Sean Teare (D)

The 177th District Court - Democrat Robert Johnson (I) vs. Republican Emily Munoz Detoto

Democratic incumbent Judge Robert Johnson of the 177th District Court is easily one of the most unpopular judges in the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, if not THE most unpopular.  His reputation with those who practice in front of him is largely that he is unkind, unreasonable, and inflexible.  A poll conducted by the Harris County Criminal Lawyers' Association gave him a 1% approval rating.  

1%

Let that sink in. 

Stunningly, the Houston Chronicle, in their incredibly off-base endorsement, regarded this backlash against Judge Johnson as a sign that he must be doing something right. That couldn't be further from the truth.  Most attorneys who do indigent defense refuse to do work in his court and that leads to indigent defendants not getting the benefit of quality representation.  In conversations about new policies for the appointment of indigent defense representation, the pushback against a Managed Assigned Counsel method usually cites the possibility of lawyers being forced to work in Johnson's court against their will.  

His opponent, Republican Emily Munoz Detoto, is a former prosecutor and long-time defense attorney who has run for a bench several times in the past.  I've known Emily for over twenty years now and we have always been friends.  That being said, Emily is definitely . . . not shy and has no hesitation about pissing off people that she gets into conflicts with.  She's a good lawyer, but she is known to get in fights with prosecutors, judges, cops, and anyone who gets between her and her client.

Her time as a prosecutor and a defense attorney make her a better candidate than Judge Johnson.

Recommendation:  Emily Munoz DeToto (R)

338th District Court - Democrat Allison Jackson Mathis vs. Republican Michele Oncken

If there was a 1st Runner Up to Least Popular Judge in the CJC, it most likely would have gone to current 338th District Court Judge Ramona Franklin, who was neither a big fan of coming to work nor following the law.  Fortunately, she was defeated in the March Primary by Democratic candidate and defense attorney Allison Jackson Mathis, who will now face Republican prosecutor Michele Oncken in November.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was one of the people who begged Allison to run against Judge Franklin in the Democratic primary and I was ecstatic that she won.  Allison is a career defense attorney who cares deeply about the Criminal Justice System and the inequities it so often demonstrates against the poor and under-represented.  She's devoted her career to that and I have no doubt that she would be a fair and compassionate judge.

I've known Michelle Oncken since I was an intern at the D.A.'s Office in the late 1990s and I have absolutely nothing negative to say about her at all.  She and I have been friends for over twenty years and I love her and her husband, Kirk to death.  She is a felony Division Chief and quite capable of being a judge.  My only qualms about Michelle is that she hasn't been a defense attorney.

It's because of that reason that I'll be voting for Allison Mathis in November.  There is a perspective that a person gains when they become a defense attorney that I think is valuable to the bench.  I certainly will admit that I didn't have that perspective when I was a prosecutor and I cherish having it now.  

Recommendation:  Allison Mathis (D)

NOTE:  The 486th, 487th and 488th District Court Benches were all created since the 2022 Election and all of the Judges sitting on those benches were appointed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott.  All of those Judges are now running for the first time as the Republican Candidates for those benches.

486th District Court - Republican Aaron Burdette vs. Democrat Vivian King

Republican Judge Aaron Burdette is a former Harris County Assistant District Attorney who rose to the level of District Court Chief before leaving for private practice.  He did not practice criminal defense after leaving the Office, instead serving as in-house counsel for a gun advocacy organization.  According to some sources, he is an "institution" of the CJC.  Since he has taken the bench, I've appeared in front of him on only a handful of occasions, but he has been fair and evenhanded in my dealings with him.

His opponent is Vivian King, who currently serves as First Assistant to the recently ousted Kim Ogg at the Harris County District Attorney's Office.  In my opinion, Vivian is every bit as bad, if not worse, than Kim Ogg and has absolutely no business being a judge.  Although she has experience as both a defense attorney and a prosecutor, her erratic behavior and questionable job performance outweigh the balance that she could have potentially brought to the bench.

Late last year, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals blasted her for dropping a client's appeal when she was his defense attorney, despite expressly telling him she would handle it.  She also mismanaged the task assigned to her of securing funding for the District Attorney's Office in 2025.  Some of us more suspicious people wonder if she and her boss, Kim Ogg, deliberately didn't secure the funding knowing it would most likely be managed by a potential Teare Administration.  And don't get me started on the time she called me to yell at me during the pandemic because of something I had written about her on this blog. My comment had been that I didn't think she should be in charge of the Covid response for HCDA and her response was to threaten to both sue and grieve me.  Yeah, that was stable.  To this day, I still don't know what time she takes her lunch hour.  

Vivian declined to speak with the Chronicle Editorial Board because she knew that they might ask her what she would be like on the bench.  I can answer that -- she'd be freaking scary.  I actually think Vivian would be even more erratic than Kim Ogg.

Recommendation: Aaron Burdette (R)

487th District Court - Republican Lori Deangelo vs. Democrat Stacy Allen Barrow

This is a tough one for me.

Out of the three candidates appointed to the new benches by Governor Abbot, Lori Deangelo was the only who had real experience as a defense attorney, and that shows in her tenure on the bench, where in my limited dealings with her, she's been fair.  I've also known her since I was a baby prosecutor and I consider her a friend.  The only knock that I have heard against her is giving very high bonds on cases that have gotten high media attention.

Stacey Allen Barlow currently serves as an Associate Judge in Harris County, and I have appeared in front of her on more occasions than I have appeared in front of Judge Deangelo. I have had very positive experiences with her.  I have found her to be thoughtful and fair and extremely legally knowledgable on the issues that she has had to rule on.  I think she would make a very good (full-time) judge. 

Recommendation:  Both

488th District Court - Republican Matt Peneguy vs. Democrat Carvana Cloud

I've known both Matt Peneguy and Carvana Cloud since we were all prosecutors together back in the Olden Days.  Although I have been very open about my issues with Matt's wife, former 482nd Judge Maritza Antu, I never had negative experiences with him in the time that I've known him.  I dealt with him when he was a prosecutor and I was handling clients on cases with him, and he was always friendly, fair and reasonable.  He was a Harris County Assistant District Attorney for a long time, leaving as a Felony District Court Chief.  He then went on to be an Assistant U.S. Attorney before being appointed to the bench.  To my knowledge, he has never been a defense attorney.

Of the three judges appointed to the new benches, however, the most complaints that I have heard have been about him.  I have not appeared in his court since he took the bench, so I don't have personal knowledge of how he runs his court, but the complaints I have heard are concerning.  I have heard that Judge Peneguy has taken to revoking bonds on Defendants who are late for court, which is a practice that had all but disappeared during the pandemic (for those few judges who still did such a thing).  I've also heard that he has pushed back on authorizing funding on some Defense motions for investigator funds.  Those two issues are alarming to those of us in the defense bar who 1) don't think a person's freedom should ever be contingent upon Houston traffic and the CJC elevators getting them to court on time; and 2) think that no judge ever should be determining that a defendant before him doesn't need his case investigated.

Carvana Cloud ran for District Attorney in 2020.  I supported her then and I support her now.  She's a lifelong Houstonian from Acres Homes who attended Kinkaid.  Like Sean Teare, she served in the Rosenthal and Lykos Administrations before leaving for private practice, and was recruited back to the Office by Kim Ogg.  Also like Teare, she saw what a bad job Kim Ogg was doing and quit to run against her boss.  Although Carvana wasn't successful in her run against Ogg in 2020, she returned to the Defense Bar where she has continued to make a difference, fighting for justice for her clients.  She is hardworking, dedicated, smart and compassionate.  She would absolutely make a fantastic judge.

Recommendation:  Carvana Cloud (D)

County Court at Law # 16 - Ashley Mayes Guice (D) vs. Linda Garcia (R)

Sitting Judge Darrell Jordan of the the County Court at Law # 16 did not seek reelection, so this one is an open bench.  Both candidates have previously served as a County Court Judge.  Both Guice and Garcia are well-liked attorneys who were liked during their times on the bench, as well.

It has been quite a few years since I've seen Linda Garcia, though.  I don't know if she is practicing in juvenile or some place else, but I don't know what she has been working on lately.  Ashley Guice, however, is a constant presence at the Criminal Justice Center, who continues to work in the trenches day in and day out.  She was great on the bench when she served as an interim judge a few years ago, and I look forward to seeing her back there again.

Recommendation:  Ashley Mayes Guice (D)

So, those are all of the contested races within the CJC.  I'm not going to do write-ups on the Appellate benches, and other criminal law-related positions, but here's a recap on who I would vote for along with who I am voting for in the other races:

District Attorney: Sean Teare (D)

177th District Court: Emily Detoto (R)

338th District Court: Allison Mathis (D)

486th District Court: Aaron Burdette (R)

487th District Court:  Both

488th District Court: Carvana Cloud (D)

County Court at Law # 16: Ashley Mayes Guice (D)

Harris County Sheriff:  Ed Gonzalez (D)

Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 6: Sarah Beth Landau (D)

Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 7: Julie Countiss (D)

Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 8: Kristin Guiney (R)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 3: Chad Bridges (R)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 4: Tonya McLaughlin (R)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 5: Frances Bourliot (D)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 6: Meagan Hassan (D)

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 8: Brad Hart (R)

Reasonable Doubt with HCDA Candidate Sean Teare

 We tried to host a debate but Republican candidate Dan Simons declined to join us.  We enjoyed talking to Democratic Candidate Sean Teare.

Reasonable Doubt with David Mitcham

 David Mitcham responded to the earlier show with Ted & Jani Maselli Wood and Chris Daniel.

Reasonable Doubt with Ted & Jani Maselli Wood and Chris Daniel - August 27, 2024

Public Defenders Jani Maselli Wood and Ted Wood brought to our attention an interesting issue with the Harris County District Clerk's Office deliberately not following the law on standardized judgment forms.  There's a lot of interesting information in the episode.  

Not only are we apparently doing things wrong by not requesting findings on indigency on the record during pleas, apparently the District Clerk's Office really doesn't want to comply with a Public Information request about their communications on the event.

CJC Closure for Tuesday, July 9th

 I'm dusting off the cobwebs from the old blog to do a public service announcement that all courts will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, July 9th.

I've heard rumors that the CJC came through Hurricane Beryl okay, but obviously the city is still a mess.

I hope everyone is staying safe out there!

Episode Seven: The Voters Awaken - A One Act -Sci-Fi Play

SCENE:  The Death Star orbits over Downtown Houston. [INTERIOR] The Imperial Council Chambers. EMPRESS OGG sits at the head of a long table with her council advisors lined down each side. It is STARDATE MARCH 5 - T-MINUS 20 seconds

EMPRESS OGG:  Beloved minions, we stand on the precipice of what will be a great and lengthy battle --

THE SPACE DOOR OPENS AND VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM HURRIES IN.

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Okay, we lost.

(STUNNED SILENCE)

EMPRESS OGG:  What do you mean "we lost," Vice-Admiral?  The battle literally began two seconds ago.

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Yep, war's over.  We lost.  The stats have us trailing at 21% of our battalions fighting as opposed to Qui-Gon Teare's 78%.

EMPRESS OGG:  That's impossible.  I refuse to believe it.  How can it be?  We can mount a comeback, can't we?

CAD DANE:  Let me crunch some numbers, your Oggness.  [DANE STARTS TYPING INTO A TABLET]. Let me see . . . if every voter who voted today voted only for you and none of them voted for Teare . . .  [SETS DOWN TABLET] . . . yeah, still no.  We lost.

EMPRESS OGG:  But, but, but what about the Klingon Crossover Troops that were promised to us by the Palmer-Hoopians?

CAD DANE:  yeah, they aren't really in this universe.  Turns out that Don Don Hooper wasn't actually a general, either.  He was just an unemployed loser mooching off of his wife's salary while calling himself a Prominent Klingon Activist.

EMPRESS OGG:  But all the money I funneled to Count Rachel had to have counted for something!

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  well, it did seem to really piss off the Jedi Caucus.

EMPRESS OGG:  Those fools.  I am the only one who has been truly Jedi all along.  They should have rallied behind me.  

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  yeah, they didn't rally behind you four years ago either.

EMPRESS OGG:  SILENCE!!!  Vice-Admiral King, why do you seem so calm in all of this?  Don't you see that we are headed toward destruction?!?!?!

VICE-ADMIRAL KING (STARING AT HER OWN TABLET):  Hmm?  I'm sorry.  Did you say something?

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Empress Ogg, perhaps you are unaware that Vice-Admiral King has been planning on launching Escape Pod 486 for some time.  She is waiting for it to charge to just over 50% so she can make her getaway.  Right now she is at 47%.

VICE-ADMIRAL KING:  You shut up, New Tom Berg.  You don't know what time I make my escape from this dumpster fire.

EMPRESS OGG:  How could you, Vivian?

BARBARA THE STRONGARM:  Empress, she started up her own cable access show again over a year ago.  Surely you knew she was campaigning.

EMPRESS OGG:  Is it any better than Sisters-in-Law?

BARBARA THE STRONGARM:  No.

EMPRESS OGG:  All of my talking points!  How could this possibly be? Anna the Carpenter, what is the meaning of this?  I paid you a county salary and out of my political campaign for better results than this.  What did you do and Cad Dane do with your time?

ANNA THE CARPENTER:  Mostly trolled your political enemies on Twitter using fake names.

EMPRESS OGG:  And you, Stine the Baker, what do you have to say for yourself?  You were supposed to deliver me this election like all of the Republicans you have historically worked for promised me.

STINE THE BAKER:  Well, um, we tried but there were some things that the troops didn't really approve of.

EMPRESS OGG:  LIKE WHAT?!?!?

STINE THE BAKER: So, yeah, like you know how you spent the entirety of the pandemic blaming all of the Judges for everything?

EMPRESS OGG:  Yes.  The Klingons loved it.

STINE THE BAKER:  Well, the Klingons don't really participate in this universe.

EMPRESS OGG:  But I had the support of Andy Kahan!

CAD DANE:  He's a Klingon.

EMPRESS OGG:  Alexandra del Moral Mealer?

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Klingon.

EMPRESS OGG:  Randy Wallace?  Bob the Choad and his anonymous band of merry Klansmen on Twitter?  They all said if I took out Lina the Hidalgo they would support me!

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  All Klingons.

CORPORAL LEITNER:  Vice-Admiral King, two questions.

VICE-ADMIRAL KING:  Go ahead.

CORPORAL LEITNER:  First, how is the Escape Pod 486 charging going and also, are you looking to hire a court coordinator?

VICE-ADMIRAL KING:  Still stuck at 47% and no.

EMPRESS OGG:  How dare you, Corporal Leitner?  You are the one who got me into this mess with your mismanagement of intake. 

CORPORAL LEITNER:  Forgive me, Empress!  I did the best I could with the budget you gave me.  When you gave all of the funding to your Upper Council instead of hiring more intake prosecutors, I had to improvise.

EMPRESS OGG:  You set up an automated answering service for the intake line that said "Thank you for calling Kim Ogg's Harris County District Attorney's Office.  We are unable to take your call at this time, but we accept your charges!"

CORPORAL LEITNER:  Yes, but it was recorded in your voice so the officers would know you were on their side!

THE DOOR OPENS AND A VERY AGITATED JAR JAR ROGERS COMES RUNNING INTO THE CHAMBERS.

JAR JAR ROGERS:  Mooey mooey Empress Ogg!  Say it isn't so!  Say it isn't so!  

EMPRESS OGG:  What have you heard, Jar Jar?

JAR JAR ROGERS:  Theesa Jawas!  They allsa be smiling!  Jar Jar didn't even knowsa that Jawas had mouths!

EMPRESS OGG:  I didn't know that either, come to think of it.

JAR JAR ROGERS:  Thensa I turned on the news and I seesa Mark Goldberg at Qui-Gon Teare's Victory Party negotiating a surrender!

EMPRESS OGG:  What?!?!  Who authorized Goldberg to authorize a surrender on my behalf?  This is like when he sent out that e-mail demanding all the Jawas work a campaign event from my e-mail account that he didn't even have the password for.

CAD DANE:  I'll call him.  [CAD DANE DIALS A NUMBER INTO HIS CELL PHONE]. Mark?  Mark, what are you doing at Qui-Gon Teare's Party?  The Empress has not authorized a concession to surrender . . .  What?  Oh . . . I see . .  . okay.  Bye.

EMPRESS OGG:  What did he say?

CAD DANE:  He's just negotiating his own surrender.

EMPRESS OGG:  That weasel.

CAD DANE:  Yeah, he said the Weasel is at Teare's Party too.

EMPRESS OGG:  I still don't understand how this could have happened.

STINE THE BAKER:  Well, the Indivisible Squadron seems to have also had a pretty strong influence on this, as well as a lot of former Jawas that you ran out of the organization when they wouldn't give you their cell phones.  Additionally, Lina the Hidalgo was far more powerful than you realized when you took her on and lost.  And the general public really didn't like that yellow outfit you keep wearing.

EMPRESS OGG:  The one with my Victory Sleeves?

STINE THE BAKER:  yeah.  Not polling well.

CORPORAL LEITNER:  Vivian, where we at on those numbers?

VICE-ADMIRAL KING:  Still stuck at 47%. At this rate, I'm never getting out of here. [VICE-ADMIRAL KING BEGINS BANGING THE TABLET ON THE TABLE].  Stupid tablet, I'm going to sue you.  I'm Board Certified!

EMPRESS OGG:  Vice-Admiral King, you are excused.  I will see you at my victory party.

VICE-ADMIRAL KING [GETTING UP TO LEAVE]:  Um, yeah.  Sorry, but I gotta go home and finish watching Sisters-In-Law to see how it ends?

EMPRESS OGG:  You were on the show.  You don't remember?

VICE-ADMIRAL KING:  Yeah, I was drinking a lot back then.

EMPRESS OGG:  At least I know that Vice-Admiral Mitcham will stick by me.  We have always been together, David.  I appreciate that.

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Well ever since you had me "Execute Order 66" on Qui Gon Teare's personnel file, I'm pretty much as screwed as you are.

EMPRESS OGG:  A little creative writing never hurt anyone, Vice-Admiral.

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  um, yeah.  Well, either way, we're both screwed.

EMPRESS OGG:  We're screwed because we have powerful enemies.

CAD DANE:  Most of these "powerful enemies" used to be your allies.

EMPRESS OGG:  Be that as it may, they never expected me to my job so super duper well that they would come to hate me.  Everyone says that people love to stare at the sun until it burns their eyes.

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Pretty sure no one ever said that.

EMPRESS OGG:  About staring into the sun?

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  No, that you did a did a super duper job.

EMPRESS OGG:  this is a scary lesson for the universe, my people.  If a simple girl from a wealthy and privileged background isn't allowed to use her position to persecute her enemies, betray her allies, and spend public funds on her private friends, I don't know why anyone would want to seek public office.  What more could people possibly expect of us?  

THE SPACE DOOR OPENS AND VICE-ADMIRAL KING WALKS BACK IN.

EMPRESS OGG:  I thought you left.

VICE-ADMIRAL KING:  Damn Escape Pod 486 is still stuck at 47%.  I'm going to be here awhile longer.

EMPRESS OGG:  As will I.  Vice-Admiral Mitcham, have the Jawas meet me tomorrow for a speech in which I will both console and terrify them.  I know they must be heartbroken.  Tell them we still have nine months to go and I still have much power.

VICE-ADMIRAL MITCHAM:  Yes, Empress.

EMPRESS OGG:  And call Grand Moff Abbott on Planet Austin.  Tell him my mission is almost finished here and I will be returning back to the Fold.

THE END (HOPEFULLY)

SEE PREVIOUSLY:

Episode One:  The Phantom Kimness

Episode Two:  Attack of the Clowns

Episode Three:  Revenge of the Fifth (Amendment)

Episode Four: A Glimmer of Hope

Episode Five: The Empress Strikes Out 

Episode Six: Return of the Jury

The Contested Primaries 2024

In addition to the extremely heated battle for Harris County District Attorney, there are only a handful of other races within the Criminal Justice Center.  Just because the District Attorney's Race is getting all of the attention these days doesn't mean that those races aren't extremely important.  

Republican Primary

With the exception of former Assistant District Attorney and current Defense Attorney Tonya Rolland McLaughlin running for place 4 on the 14th Court of Appeals, there aren't any contested races on the Republican side that have a direct impact on CJC.  If you find yourself voting in the Republican Primary, I highly recommend Tonya.  She's a great candidate who has the perspective of both the Defense and Prosecution sides of things and she also someone with experience in both the trial side of a case as well as the appellate side.  

There is a contested race for Sheriff, but I don't really know any of the candidates enough to speak on it.  I don't think they will have much chance against Ed Gonzalez in November, anyway.

Democratic Primary

County Court at Law # 16: Juan Aguirre vs. Ashley Guice

With current Judge Darrell Jordan not seeking re-election, this is an open bench for 2024 and it has two very strong candidates running for it with Juan Aguirre and Ashley Guice.  Both are former prosecutors and practice criminal defense.  Both are great people.  This is one of those situations that I have run into before where I wish they were running for separate benches rather than against each other, because I think very highly of them both.

Ashley has previous judicial experience having previously filled an unexpired term on a County Court bench.  I had a case or two in front of her when she was on the bench there and it was a pleasant experience.  She worked hard on keeping cases moving forward, but she was not inflexible if a case needed a reset to get something important done.  I think she was a good judge before and I have absolutely nothing negative to say about her.

As I have said before, however, her opponent Juan Aguirre, is one of the best people I know.  He and I have known each other for over twenty years and he is someone that I admire greatly and think he would make a phenomenal judge.  I worked with Juan at the District Attorney's Office and I have practiced alongside him as a defense attorney.  He is one of those people who is the first in line to volunteer and lend a hand when someone needs help.  He is a calm and thoughtful person who is devoted to seeking justice and doing the right thing.  I am proud to call him my friend.  He would make a phenomenal judge.

My vote in this race goes to Juan Aguirre

338th District Court:  Allison Mathis vs. Ramona Franklin

The choice for the 338th District Court could not be more obvious as political newcomer and defense attorney Allison Mathis takes on incumbent Ramona Franklin.  Ramona Franklin is, to put it bluntly, the worst judge to have ever occupied a bench in Harris County, Texas.  Don't get me wrong, she's had some strong competition, but never have I seen a judge who so unabashedly ignores the Constitution and a Defendant's right to counsel like Franklin.  Whether it be her refusal to come into the courtroom and preside even after the main threat of Covid had passed, to refusing to allow defense attorneys to stand in court with their clients, or her whimsically raising the bonds and taking defendants into custody after they had already made bond, Ramona Franklin either doesn't understand the law or she simply has no interest in following it.  

If you are even remotely undecided about whether or not Franklin deserves your vote, please read this post I wrote in 2021 about a showdown that the Harris County Criminal Lawyers' Association had to have with her.  Read it and pray that you or a loved one never finds yourself accused of a crime in her court.  

By contrast, her opponent Allison Mathis knows the law and strongly believes in the accused's presumption of innocence.  She has worked (literally) all over the world in different jurisdictions while defending clients and she takes her duties extremely seriously.  She's also a very brilliant legal mind.  I only met Allison a few years ago, but I have worked closely with her on several projects through HCCLA.  She is the first person I call when a difficult legal issue needs to be addressed and she always devotes her full energy to resolving it.  The Houston Chronicle endorsed her by saying that any qualified candidate would be better than Franklin, which (although I understand the sentiment) I think doesn't give Allison enough credit.  She'd be an outstanding candidate in whatever race she was running in.  But in this race in particular, she couldn't be more of the clearer choice.

My vote in this race goes to Allison Mathis.

486th District Court: Gemayel Haynes vs. Vivian King vs. Roderick Rodgers

Last year, the Legislature created three new District Courts and the Governor appointed three Republican judges to all of them.  All of them are on the ballot this year and all of them have Democratic challengers.  For some reason, the 486th has three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination while the other two are uncontested in the primary.

Much like the race for the 338th, the choice in this race is also very clear as former prosecutor and Harris County Public Defender Division Chief Gemayel Haynes is the best candidate for the job by a mile.

I don't normally subscribe to the idea of guilt by association but Roderick Rodgers is the husband of the above-mentioned Ramona Franklin, who as noted above, is the worst judge I've ever seen on the bench in Harris County.  Additionally, he's only been licensed since 2016 and currently is a prosecutor in Fort Bend.  He doesn't even practice in Harris County and I can't think of any reasons why anyone would think he should be on the Bench here.

And then we have Harris County District Attorney Chief of Staff Vivian King and I'm not even sure where to begin here.  

Vivian used to be a pretty respected defense attorney in Harris County, but over the past ten years or so, that all started to slip away from her for some reasons.  It started off when she went on the Sisters-in-Law reality series that profiled her and other defense attorneys in Harris County.  Vivian established at herself as a hard-drinking ego maniac with some fairly strong anger issues.  It wasn't a good look.  As if that weren't bad enough, she then went to work for Kim Ogg as the Chief of Staff.  Speaking of guilt by association, Vivian has been the second in command of an erratic and terrible office.  Who can forget her wildly entertaining call to me in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when she threatened to sue me and grieve me for criticizing her!

She has long lost touch with the idea of what it takes to be an effective trial attorney and was recently in the news for having failed to file a petition for a client she was representing after telling him that she would do so. She only missed the deadline by seven years!  Her behavior was excused by the above-mentioned Ramona Franklin, but not so much by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals who issued a stinging rebuke of both Franklin and Vivian for the colossal screwup.  

Vivian's self-promoting website advertises her as a television personality.  That's probably what she should stick to.  Her behavior is far too erratic to be on a Bench where she decides peoples' lives.

Luckily in this contest, we have Gemayel Haynes, who is everything the other two candidates are not.   Gemayel is a former prosecutor and a current defense attorney who has the perfect amount of experience to sit on the bench.  Additionally, he is a calm and thoughtful presence who has always sought to do the right thing during the time that I have known him.  He is a good man and a great candidate and far and away the best choice in this race.

My vote in this race goes to Gemayel Haynes.

Harris County Sheriff's Office

I don't know any of the candidates running against incumbent Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, but I know Ed Gonzalez.  He's had a lot of things thrown at him since he's been Sheriff and he has handled them better than anyone else possibly could have.  It's a tough job and things can always be improved, but I can't imagine anyone doing it better than he has so far.

My vote in this race goes to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Harris County District Attorney

This one is a No Brainer as per my last post.

I spend a lot of time telling people why Kim Ogg needs to go, but you should also know that Sean Teare is the one and only candidate in this race that can actually save the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

I've known Sean Teare since (literally) the day he passed the Bar Exam and I'm very proud to call him a friend.  He's a good man and a good leader.  During his time as a prosecutor, he led the Vehicular Crimes Section of the Office, spending countless hours making crime scenes where people had been killed by intoxicated drivers.  Unlike his opponent, he went to trial and knew the courtroom was not just there for press conferences.  He was well-liked by those who worked with him and for him and he knew how to boost the morale within an otherwise depressing office.

So many of us who used to work at the Office see in Sean Teare the hope that he can restore that Office's reputation and improve the quality of prosecution and justice that comes from it.  I have no doubt that he can accomplish that.  As I've said before, everyone benefits from an experienced and professional District Attorney's Office -- even the Defense Bar.  We have been lacking that under the Ogg Administration and are looking forward to things getting back to good under the Teare Administration.

My vote in this race goes to Sean Teare.

This year's ballot for the Democratic Primary is short but it couldn't be more important.  Please get out and vote and encourage your friends and family to get out there and vote, as well.   It is time for a change and never has there been a better opportunity to drastically improve the State of Criminal Justice in Harris County.