Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center

Back in 2010, when Chris Daniel ran against my friend and then-incumbent Loren Jackson for the job of District Clerk, I was not a supporter.  Loren had done such an amazing job in such a short amount of time with the technology in the Clerk's Office that I felt there was no way Daniels could continue at such a pace. Although it took some time, Chris has won me over.  He and his staff have worked very hard at bringing so many records online for easy viewing.  They have also made exponential leaps in making E-Filing more and more convenient and accessible for attorneys. As much as I love all the new technology, there are still a couple of kinks in the system that have to be worked out -- for instance, if you need a quick Motion for Continuance in a Court and they only accept e-filings, how do you get that done when you are away from your computer? Today's complaint is about the E-Subpoena -- not so much about how the District Clerk's Office handles them, but how the Sh

Judge Katherine Cabaniss and the staff of the 248th District Court are hosting a Holiday Party: Coffee with the Court tomorrow morning, November 22, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Everyone is invited to stop by for kolaches and coffee and kick off the holiday season!

As I mentioned last month , the second softball match up of the year between members of the Harris County Defense Bar and the Harris County District Attorney's Office was held on October 19th.  One of the added features of this particular game was that five generous donors had agreed to donate $100 per run to the Harris County Drug Court in the name of Mike Anderson. I'm happy to report that the results of the fundraising were a tremendous success and raised a whopping $12,500! Those donors (Chip Lewis, Paul Doyle, Will Womble, Walter Umphrey and Kristi Schiller) all combined for an outstanding tribute to an outstanding cause in the name of an outstanding leader and man. In a related story, the County Commissioners unanimously voted to name the Drug Court's courtroom earlier this month.  It has now been officially named the Mike Anderson Memorial Courtroom. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Happy Veterans Day to all those who served in our Nation's military. A few years ago, I wrote this post which included a letter that my grandfather wrote to my father, Louis M. Newman III, when Dad was just a baby. As I mentioned in that post, Dad went on to serve as a United States Marine who completed three tours of duty in Vietnam between 1967-1969.  He won two Purple Hearts, one Bronze Star and a Silver Star. For those of us who have never served in the military and earned the title of Veteran, the idea of being in an actual combat situation is something that we cannot begin to comprehend.  It should not be lost on us that the reason that we cannot comprehend combat is because of the men and women who fought for  us. My Dad is proud of his time in the Marine Corps and the men he fought alongside in Vietnam. But he isn't nearly as proud of his service as I am of being his son.

There will be a signing get together this Wednesday, November 6th for four Republican Judicial candidates at the Hotel Icon main floor bar. Please join us from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. to sign petitions for Justice Marc Brown and Judge Catherine Evans, as well as Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Brown and Civil District Court Judge Grant Dorfman.  Justice Ken Wise will also have petitions there.

Since Justice Brown has recently switched jobs over to the 14th Court of Appeals, he is required to gather signatures for his petition to be on the ballot next year. As always, our friend Edward Porter has volunteered to lend a helping hand in gathering those signatures. Edward will be in front of the CJC today from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please make it a point to catch Edward in front of the CJC today and help out Justice Brown.