In the News

Judges in Harris County’s civil court have been sanctioned for behavior in courtrooms. During a trial, one allowed attorneys to be shackled while the other erupted into fits of rage.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price presented local judges with data highlighting underperforming case records from local felony and misdemeanor judges. Price claims the underperforming case disposition rates could result in a $50 million loss of criminal justice grants from the state.

Fifteen Harris County judges resolved fewer felony cases during the pandemic, and all 23 courts have more pending cases now than when the COVID epidemic began. As of March, there were over 48,000 pending active cases in Criminal District Court.

Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price blames DA John Creuzot’s office and local judges for the record backlog of criminal court cases. Dallas County criminal trials didn’t resume until April 2021, and cases still face a slow process with fewer cases each month.

The District Attorney’s Office in Harris County is seeking to suspend self-described socialist Judge Franklin Bynum after a nearly two-year-long feud over allegations he is prejudiced against prosecutors and gives too much leniency to defendants based on political ideology.

Before Harris County passed legislation requiring a 10% minimum bail on bonds for violent offenders, the lighter bond payments failed to protect the community or ensure they appeared in court.

Commissioner Price criticized local Dallas judges for insufficiently working during the pandemic and increased hiring for supervising ankle monitors. The current court backlog could cost the area millions of dollars as defendants remained in jail waiting for their day in court.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office requested the recusal of Criminal Court Judge Jason Luong, who they believe is biased in favor of defendants in child sex abuse cases. Luong was recently removed from a retrial of a defendant after his personal opinions allegedly influenced the court sentence.

The conflicted arrangement was known to judges and at least two preceding district attorneys. It was uncovered publicly in 2019 when the current D.A. inadvertently found records showing Petty worked for the prosecution in a capital murder case against Clinton Young, while also working as a law clerk for the judge in the case.