Judge Kent’s reputation was well known in the Houston criminal defense community and in the Southern District of Texas. At least in terms of his temperament, Judge Kent’s reputation was not a good one.  Federal criminal defense in Houston takes a an experienced lawyer and a tremendous amount of effort.  It is complicated as it is, without having to be more difficult.  Judge Kent’s demeanor and courtroom antics were the exception and not the rule.  I have found that Houston criminal defense work is typically much more civilized than state criminal work.

This incident should be a reminder to all of us, be it Houston criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges.  We are all human and we all make mistakes.  It is amazing the “holier than thou attitudes” I see every day at the Houston courts.  I have seen judges, prosecutors, probation officers, and criminal defense lawyers in Houston, all be on the wrong side of the Bar.  Yet, it never seems to change the way we see the citizen accused or even worse, the guilty.

The Chronicle goes on to discuss whether Judge Kent will receive his $174,000 salary.  Unless he is impeached, then he is entitled to keep it.  You better believe the members of Congress will be salivating to impeach the Judge for nothing more than to get their names in the paper.  I am not saying that I think he should receive his retirement, seeing as how he abused his position in more ways than one.  Yet, it is just another example of the people judging another without taking into account of their own humanness.

Nine felony district courts were up for election. Democratic challengers won 8 out of the 9 criminal judicial races.

The results are as follows:

174th District Court was vacant because Judge George Godwin is set to retire. The Judge-Elect is Ruben Guerrero.

176th District Court- Judge Elect Shawna L. Reagin

177th District Court – Judge Elect Kevin Fine

178th District Court- Judge Elect David Mendoza

179th District Court- Judge Elect Randy Roll

337th District Court- Judge Elect Herb Ritchie

338th District Court- Judge Elect Hazel Jones

339th District Court- Judge Elect Maria Jackson

35st District Court- Judge Mark Kent Ellis

Judge Ellis of the 351st District Court was the only Republican incumbent to hold onto his bench. Several of the newly elected candidates are fixtures down at the criminal courthouse and others are fresh faces.

It goes without saying that Harris County voted out top-notch, qualified judges like Judge Roger Bridgewater and Judge Caprice Cosper. On the other hand, I think it is fair to say that other courts were due for a change. At this point, we can only hope our new judges are ready to maintain in some courts and create in others, a forum where a citizen can receive a fair trial.

We’ll see what happens.