The 2022 Election: The County Court at Law Races - Part Two of Three

Okay, let's jump right in.  Hopefully, if you are reading this, you've already read Part One of my sweeping epic on the 2022 Election.  Also, many of these candidates I talked about in more detail during the primary elections earlier this year.

County Court at Law # 1 -- Judge Alex Salgado (I)(D) vs. Nathan Moss (R) --I didn't know Judge Alex Salgado at all prior to him taking the Bench in January of 2019 and my appearances before him during his tenure have been very limited.  I have spoken to him in court and he is an incredibly nice man who runs a very fair and efficient court.  He was a prosecutor for nine years (he mentioned to me that many of those years were in Walker County) before taking the Bench.

Nathan Moss is a Felony Division Chief at the Harris County District Attorney's Office and one of the few remaining prosecutors that were there when I was.  He was a baby prosecutor around the time I left.  He's also my neighbor!  Nathan is a personal friend and an extremely intelligent prosecutor.   He's a career prosecutor (as was Judge Salgado before taking the bench).

County Court at Law # 2 -- Judge Ronnisha Bowman (I)(D) vs. Paula Goodhart (R) -- as was the case with Judge Salgado, I did not know Judge Bowman prior to her taking the Bench, and I don't have any experience appearing before her since she was elected in 2018.  Unfortunately, I just don't have much information to share with her because of that.  Don't read anything into that.  I just don't have a basis to give you any information.  I wish I did.

Paula Goodhart is the former judge of County Court at Law #1 who lost her bench in the 2018 Democratic sweep.  She is also a friend who I've known since we were both prosecutors at the D.A.'s Office.  Paula was senior to me at the Office (that's not an age joke) and was a Felony District Court Chief when she left.  She was very well-liked as a judge and has had a very busy and successful defense practice since leaving the Bench.

County Court at Law # 3 -- Porscha Brown (D) vs. Leslie Johnson (R) -- the County Court at Law # 3 bench is an open bench this election cycle due to Judge Erica Hughes leaving the bench mid-term for a Federal position.  The current judge of the court is Ashley Guice, who did not run as a candidate for the permanent position.  As an aside, Judge Guice has done a great job during her brief tenure and I hope she does run for a Bench in the future.

I don't know either Porscha Brown or Leslie Johnson particularly well, but I'm friends with them both.  Both of them are defense attorneys.  I would say that I've known Leslie longer but I probably know Porscha a little better.

Porscha won a very decisive victory in a three-person Democratic primary earlier this year.  She is a public defender with the Harris County P.D.'s Office and I have seen her argue in court.  She's a very impressive and zealous advocate for her clients and she is very well-liked amongst her co-workers at the P.D.'s Office and the Defense Bar, as well.

Leslie is also a respected member of the Defense Bar.  She is married to defense attorney Dane Johnson, who I've known for ages.  I don't have anything negative to say about Leslie at all, but I don't have a whole wealth of knowledge about her, either.   

County Court at Law # 4 -- Judge Shannon Baldwin (I)(D) vs. Zachary Gibson (R) -- I've known Judge Baldwin since she was a defense attorney prior to taking the Bench in 2019.  We were friendly, but not particularly close friends.  I have had the opportunity to appear before her in her court on multiple occasions over the past four years, however, and I can attest to her being a very good judge.  She is serious, fair, and efficient.  I have not had a trial in front of her, but have approached on evidentiary matters and found her approach to be thoughtful, insightful, and balanced.  She has done a great job on the Bench.

I don't believe that I know Zachary Gibson personally, but I'm aware that he is a Harris County District Attorney's Office prosecutor.  I'm not familiar with him but have noticed that there is a commentor on the blog who seems to really dislike him, according to the comments left on other posts.  I can't (and wouldn't) vouch for experiences that aren't my own, but I will say that my positive experiences with Judge Baldwin have earned my vote for her in this race.

County Court at Law # 5 -- Judge David Fleischer (I)(D) vs. Elizabeth Buss (R). Judge David Fleischer is one of my favorite people at the CJC.  We got to be friends when he was running for judge in 2018 and he has done a great job on the Bench. He works so hard to get everything right and it stresses him out so much when he thinks he's messing something up.  He's a good man and a good judge.  He leads from a place of compassion in his decisions but isn't afraid to be tough when the situation calls for it.  I've appeared before him on several cases during his tenure.  I've had wins and losses on issues with him, but he always did what he felt was right in his heart and I admire that.

Liz Buss is a prosecutor with Harris County that I also like a lot.  I've dealt with her on cases in the past and she has been nothing short of friendly, courteous, and fair.  I have absolutely nothing negative to say about her.  

County Court at Law # 6 -- Judge Kelley Andrews (I)(D) vs. Mark Montgomery (R) -- as I mentioned in my February post on the primaries, I've known Judge Kelley Andrews since she was a rookie defense attorney many moons ago, and I think the world of her as well.  She is a personal friend who I enjoy talking to on those rare occasions that I get the opportunity to.  I've also appeared in her court multiple times over the past several years and have enjoyed the way she runs her courtroom.  She calls balls and strikes and lets the attorneys do their job.  In addition to her regular duties, Judge Andrews also helped create (and currently runs) the Mental Health Court for misdemeanor cases.  She is immensely qualified, has done a great job, and deserves to be re-elected.

I do not know Mark Montgomery, and I don't recognize his picture from his website.  He is apparently a retired Houston Police Department lieutenant who practices in multiple areas of law.  His website says that he does some criminal, but, like I said, I don't recognize him.  

County Court at Law # 7 -- Judge Andrew Wright (I)(D) vs. Mike Monks (R) -- In what can only be described as the greatest disparity in hairstyles on the ballot this year, Judge Andrew Wright is running for a second term against longtime defense attorney Mike Monks.  As with so many of the other contests I'm writing about here, both candidates are friends of mine.  I knew Judge Wright before he took the bench in January 2019, but I've gotten to know him better over the years.  As I wrote back in February, he ran for the Bench because he has strong feelings about how the Criminal Justice System should operate and he's made those feelings the backbone of his time on the Bench.  Almost immediately, he let the State know that he would hold them to their obligations to turn over Discovery and follow those duties that they are required to perform under the Code of Criminal Procedure.  He has firm policies in his court and he expects them to be followed.  There's nothing wrong with that, and I admire him for his vision and direction as a judge.

Although another candidate in a race a few years back referred to himself as an "institution" of the courthouse, Mike Monks is truly an institution in our Criminal Justice Center world.  He was an experienced lawyer when I first walked in the door in 1999 and he is a fan favorite for all of us who practice there.  Mike is such an institution at the courthouse that for years, the D.A.'s Office's Halloween decorations consisted of a skeleton wearing a "Mike Monks for Judge" campaign t-shirt that sat on a couch in the reception area.  He's one of the nicest people you will ever meet and someone happy to answer questions for some of us "younger" lawyers.  

County Court at Law # 8 -- Erika Ramirez (D) vs. Mark Goldberg (R) -- well, here's an interesting race that pits two current Assistant District Attorneys against each other.  Democratic candidate Erika Ramirez defeated incumbent Judge Franklin Bynum in the primary and she faces off against Republican Mark Goldberg.

I think the world of Erika Ramirez and she definitely has my vote in this election.  I've dealt with her as a prosecutor and as a friend.  I admire her ethics, knowledge, and compassion.  She has worked hard on the campaign trail and I hope that pays off for her in November.  

By contrast, I am not a fan of her opponent, Mark Goldberg and I base that on several different factors.  Goldberg is a political hire brought in by Kim Ogg.  He doesn't know much about prosecution, and I had a front-row view of that when I had this case set against him in 2020.  I hope you will take the time to read that article if you aren't familiar with the story already.  The short version is that he lied to the court to get out of a Batson violation.  His reputation for honesty hasn't improved any since then.  He lied to the media in the summer of 2019 as I outlined in this post.  In addition to his issues with honesty, Mark also isn't really a prosecutor.  He's a campaign advisor for Kim Ogg who is holding a prosector's pay position so he can have a taxpayer-funded job.

County Court at Law # 9 -- Judge Toria Finch (I)(D) vs. Sartaj Bal (R) -- I can't say enough nice things about Judge Toria Finch, and I'm not alone in that.  When running against her opponent, John Wakefield in 2018, he couldn't say enough nice things about her either.  It was the friendliest campaign I've ever witnessed.   Since taking the Bench, Judge Finch has maintained a cordial and productive court where prosecutors and defense attorneys are glad to practice.  She is kind, fair, and smart.  She's done a great job during her first term on the Bench and she deserves another one.

I don't know her opponent, Sartaj Bal, and I've never heard of him, either.  I don't recognize him from his campaign website and I'm not sure that I've ever seen him in the CJC at all.    His website is ambiguous about what types of cases he handles, but his State Bar profile indicates that he is licensed in a couple of Federal Bankruptcy courts.  I'm not a big fan of lawyers becoming Criminal Court Judges when they don't practice Criminal Law in the first place. 

County Court at Law # 10 -- Juanita Jackson (D) vs. Dan Spjut (R) --  With current County Court at Law #10 Judge Lee Harper Wilson not seeking re-election, County Court at Law # 10 is an open bench in 2022.  My friend, the youthful and vibrant and not at all old-school, Juanita Jackson, is a defense attorney running as the Democratic candidate against the former judge of Court #10, Republican Dan Spjut.

Dan Spjut was elected to the Bench in 2014 and, like Paula Goodhart, lost his bench in the Democratic sweep in 2018.  During his time on the Bench, I don't believe that I ever had a case in his court.  I know that he had a lengthy career with the City of Houston Police Department.  I never heard any complaints about him.  I think I've met him in passing, but I do not know him personally.  I have nothing negative to report.

I've known Juanita for as far back as I can remember and she is a personal friend.  She is a strong and dedicated defense attorney who fights hard for her clients and I have no doubt that she would do a great job if elected.

County Court at Law # 11 -- Judge Sedrick Walker (I)(D) vs.  Dan Simons (R) -- Although I've known Judge Sedrick Walker since he was a prosecutor, I don't know him very well on a personal level.  During his time as a prosecutor, I believe I had one or two cases against him and found him professional and prepared when we talked.  Since he took the bench, I have appeared before him on a handful of occasions and have always enjoyed being in his court.  He is very professional and runs an efficient court.

I've known Dan since his time at the District Attorney's Office.  In 2018, he won the Republican Primary over longtime incumbent Judge Jay Karahan, who had run afoul of the Republican Party because he (gasp!) officiated over a same-sex marriage.  I thought the move local Republicans pulled on Karahan back then was crap and I was disappointed that Dan ran against him for that reason.  It all became irrelevant anyway as Dan lost to Franklin Bynum in the 2018 Democratic Sweep.  I believe Dan moved out of state for a time, but he has been back in Harris County and practicing as a defense attorney for a few years now.

County Court at Law # 12 -- Judge Genesis Draper (I)(D) vs. Matt Dexter (R) --  If you are a reader of this blog, you probably know that I'm a Super Fan of Judge Genesis Draper.  I didn't know her prior to her taking the Bench but had the opportunity to pick a jury in front of her in the above-mentioned case against Mark Goldberg.  Judge Draper was amazing then as she deftly dealt with suppression and Batson issues that were brought before her.  She has a strong background in criminal defense and is an amazing judge.  Since trying that case with her, I've had the opportunity to talk to her on many additional occasions about the law and the state of the Criminal Justice System.  I admire the passion and dedication she has for Criminal Justice and wish she would seek an even higher office.  She's the type of leader that the world needs more of.

My old buddy, Matt Dexter is running against Judge Draper for Court #12, and he and I go way back.  We became good friends back in 1999 when he was still with HPD and we bonded over the time-honored tradition of mocking Adam Brown.  Matt is a great guy and a good friend.  Most of his criminal defense work has centered around the juvenile system, however, and I'm kind of surprised he didn't run for a bench in that arena.  Although I have nothing negative to say about my friend, the truth of the matter is that I'd vote for Judge Draper even if she was running against me!

County Court at Law # 13 -- Judge Raul Rodriguez (I)(D) vs. Lance Long (R) -- The last three races I'm profiling here are tough ones for me because I think all of the candidates running are great ones.  Lance Long is a former-Harris County Assistant District Attorney who was inexplicably let go as part of Kim Ogg's ridiculous Bloody Friday purge of experienced prosecutors when she took Office.  He is one of the smartest people I've ever met and I sat with him on the one and only death penalty case I ever tried as a prosecutor.  Since leaving the Office, he has served as a prosecutor in other counties trying serious cases.  I do think that he would be kind of bored trying misdemeanor cases, since Capital Murder is pretty much his specialty, though.

As much as I love Lance, Judge Rodriguez is arguably one of the best judges on the bench in the CJC and easily one of the most popular.  In addition to being one of the nicest people that I've ever met, he's also an excellent judge.  He runs a very efficient court and he calls balls and strikes without playing any favorites.  I had a lengthy contested Motion to Suppress in front of him, and although he ultimately ruled against me, I had no doubt that he had attentively listened to all of the involved witnesses and parties and carefully reviewed the applicable law before doing so.

County Court at Law # 14 -- Je'Rell Rogers (D) vs. Jessica Padilla (R) -- the race for County Court at Law # 14 is technically an open race with no incumbent since Democratic candidate Je'Rell Rogers defeated current Judge David Singer in the March primary.  As I wrote back then, I'm a big fan of Je'Rell both professionally and personally and I think that he would make a great judge.  He is currently a Chief Prosecutor in the 180th District Court and a recovering former Notre Dame mascot.

I've known Jessica Padilla since she was baby prosecutor at the D.A.'s Office, a year or so behind me in seniority.  She's a wonderful and sweet person that I think would also make a great judge.  She prosecuted for several years but has been on the defense side of things for quite some time now.  She's very involved in the Republican Party of Harris County.

County Court at Law # 15 -- Judge Tonya Jones (I)(D) vs. Xavier Alfaro (R) --  I did not know Judge Tonya Jones when she ran for the Bench in 2018, but I supported her because I knew that she would be a far better choice than her opponent, Roger Bridgwater.  I'm glad I made that call then because I've had the opportunity to appear in her court since and she's a great judge.  She runs a very open and fair courtroom and is well-liked by both the Defense Bar and the State.

Xavier Alfaro (aka X-Man) is also someone that I think very highly of.  I first met X when he was a prosecutor in Harris County.  He was a defense attorney for a while and then went to work for Brian Middleton at the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office, where he heads the Misdemeanor Division.  Every time I've dealt with Xavier, I've been glad that he was the person I was dealing with.  He is someone that knows the law and how to follow it, but also strongly appreciates fairness and equity in making his decisions.