In the News

The State Bar of Texas has handed down disciplinary actions for attorneys who were non-responsive and neglected their clients’ legal matters, among other issues.

Some judges from the Harris County Criminal Court frequently grant bonds to defendants charged with felons in possession of a weapon. Oftentimes, these quickly released felons continue on to commit subsequent crimes while they are out on bail.

A Houston judge was reprimanded for losing his temper during a trial, cursing at a lawyer in his chambers, and then insinuating that he should jump out of the window when he became aware of his improper behavior.

It’s been more than four months since Tarrant County got a new court to help handle criminal cases, but it’s unclear when a full-time judge will take over the bench.

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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform’s General Counsel Lee Parsley joined the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform’s podcast to discuss nuclear verdicts in the trucking industry and what legislators can do to ensure that excessive lawsuits don’t shut down this vital industry.

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.