Directory of Criminal Courts
for Harris County, Texas
for Professor Moses' Criminal Law & Trial Advocacy Classes
copyright © ray moses 2001 - 2010
CONTENTS:
Basic Information for Defendants
CONFUSED ABOUT YOUR CASE: INDIGENT ACCUSED PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED A COURT-APPOINTED LAWYER BY LOCAL STATE JUDGES, UNDER THE SOMEWHAT ARCHAIC COURT-APPOINTED LAWYER SYSTEM USED IN HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, MAY FIND SOME ANSWERS TO THEIR MOST BASIC QUESTIONS IN THIS 24-PAGE MANUAL:
(Note: For general information about the criminal justice process look at this guide from the American Bar Association. A New York lawyer wrote a handbook, "What You Should Know If You Are
Accused of a Crime" for use by folks in New York. You might find parts of it useful.
If you are an indigent charged with a federal crime and want to know something about
the federal criminal justice system, look at this handbook from the WVN Federal PD. )
INFORMATION ABOUT HARRIS COUNTY COURT SYSTEM.
THIS WEB SITE PROVIDES INFORMATION TO DEFENDANTS CHARGED IN COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTS AT LAW WITH JAIL TIME (CLASS A & B) MISDEMEANORS.
THIS REPORT EXPLAINS THE WAY HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTS AT LAW DETERMINE WHETHER A DEFENDANT IS ENTITILED TO COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL AND HOW COURT-APPOINTED COUNSEL ARE ASSIGNED AND PAID.
+ IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHTS ARE WHEN DEALING WITH THE POLICE,
DOWNLOAD THIS CARD THAT TELLS YOU
AND PUT IT IN YOUR WALLET OR PURSE.
(The manual and the card are in PDF format which requires that your computer
have a free downloadable Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
+ WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF THE POLICE WANT TO TALK TO YOU?
+ IF THE POLICE ASK YOU TO CONSENT TO THEM SEARCHING
THE TRUNK OR PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF YOUR CAR:
POLICE: I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR.
YOU: ARE YOU REQUESTING OR DEMANDING?
SCENARIO ONE - POLICE: REQUESTING.
YOU: I REFUSE TO CONSENT TO ANY WARRANTLESS AND UNREASONABLE SEARCH.
SCENARIO TWO - POLICE: DEMANDING.
YOU: I DON'T CONSENT TO ANY WARRANTLESS AND UNREASONABLE SEARCH.
BUT I'M NOT GOING TO PHYSICALLY RESIST.
+ IF THE POLICE ASK YOU TO SIGN A WRITTEN CONSENT TO SEARCH,
YOUR ANSWER SHOULD BE THE SAME AS SCENARIO ONE ABOVE.
EVERY AMERICAN'S BILL OF RIGHTS
HERE'S INFORMATION ABOUT CRIMINAL CASES THAT HAVE BEEN FILED IN HARRIS COUNTY.
HERE IS A GROUP OF SHORT ARTICLES THAT MAY HELP YOU UNDERSTAND
BASIC CRIMINAL LAW AND THE WAY IT WORKS.
MAY WANT TO ASK WHEN SHOPPING FOR A LAWYER TO HIRE TO REPRESENT THEM.
YOU CAN CHECK YOUR LAWYER'S RATING BY OTHER LAWYERS IN THE
MARTINDALE-HUBBELL DIRECTORY. THE HIGHEST RATING IN "AV."
DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOUR LAWYER HAS A LOWER RATING.
A LAWYER MUST PRACTICE FOR 10 YEARS TO EVEN BE ELIGIBLE FOR "AV."
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATUS OF A CRIMINAL CASE IN HARRIS COUNTY, CRIMINAL RECORDS SEACHES, & MANY OTHER FAQ ABOUT HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL CASES,
(YOU'LL NEED THE CAUSE NUMBER OF THE CASE TO USE THE DA'S PAGE ABOVE.)
FOR LOCAL RULES OF THE CLASS A &B MISDEMEANOR COURTS - (COUNTY CRIMINAL
COURTS AT LAW), MISDEMEANOR BAIL (1) SCHEDULES, INFORMATION ON FREE
LAWYERS FOR THOSE UNABLE TO AFFORD A LAWYER, PETITIONS FOR
IF YOU ARE CHARGED WITH A TRAFFIC OFFENSE (CLASS C - FINEABLE ONLY OFFENSE), YOUR CASE WILL BE IN A MUNICIPAL OR JUSTICE OF THE PEACE COURT. THE REST OF THIS WEB SITE WON'T HELP YOU, BUT HERE IS A LIST OF THE LOCATION AND PHONE NUMBERS OF ALL
TRAFFIC COURTS IN HARRIS COUNTY AND SURROUDING AREAS
UNDERSTANDING LAWYER-TALK:THOSE WHO ARE CONFUSED BY SOME OF THE LEGAL
MUMBO-JUMBO WORDS USED DOWN AT THE COURTHOUSE MAY GET SOME
HELP FROM THIS GLOSSARY (1) OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE TERMS.
INFORMATION ABOUT TEXAS COURTS
IF YOU ARE A VICTIM (COMPLAINANT), THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS PREPARED
THIS INFORMATION PAGE THAT ANSWERS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
COURT WATCHERS & MY LAW STUDENTS: DA'S LOCAL TRIALS TO WATCH
The Local Trials to Watch site provides you with a list of the most interesting jury
trials currently taking place at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center.
The interim District Attorney, Ken Magidson, added this page to the DA's web site
in November of 2008. Thankfully, his successor, DA Pat Lykos, has maintained the page.
Despite the fact that the Public Information Office of the DA's Office, (713) 755-5996,
tries to keep the listings current, they sometimes aren't.
Professor Moses' students who are required to visit the courthouse to watch
a trial will find this link invaluable. Thank you, Ken and Pat.
The Chronicle newspaper reports daily on one or two of the juiciest trials.
You can also ask the people on duty at the first floor reception area whether there are any interesting trials taking place. Or you can just wander around from court to court 'til something strikes your fancy. If you want to observe a specific trial, you may
wish to call the court beforehand and verify that the trial is still underway before
making a trip. To do so: Dial (713) 755 and the extension number beside
(not the number in parenthesis) the judge's name
from the list of courts set out below.
DRESSING FOR COURT: STUDENT COURTWATCHERS SHOULD DRESS COMFORTABLY BUT WITH APPROPRIATE RESPECT FOR THE COURT.
NEVER WEAR SHORTS, TANK TOPS OR FLIP-FLOP SANDALS;
AVOID T-SHIRTS WITH DEROGATORY MESSAGES OR SALACIOUS IMAGES.
FINDING THE CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE:
CRIMINAL CASES ARE HANDLED IS A BUILDING CALLED
THE HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER
THE DESTINATION ADDRESS IS:
1201 FRANKLIN
HOUSTON, TX 77002-1900
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: IF YOU NEED DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM YOUR HOME OR PLACE OF WORK TO THE HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER, PRESS Google, Maps, Yahoo, Mapquest, MapsOnUs, or Rand McNally. PUT YOUR LOCATION IN AS TO YOUR STARTING PLACE AND PUT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER ADDRESS "1201 Franklin, Houston, TX. 77002" AS YOUR DESTINATION ADDRESS, OR GET DRIVING DIRECTIONS BY PUNCHING ANY STREET ADDRESS INTO THE GOOGLE SEARCH BOX ON YOUR COMPUTER.
COURTHOUSE PARKING: THERE IS NO FREE PARKING. DO NOT PARK AT THE STREET METERS; YOU RISK AN EXPENSIVE PARKING TICKET IF YOU DON'T FEED THE METER. PARKING AROUND THE COURTHOUSE RUNS FROM $2 TO $14 A DAY. TIP: IF YOU CAN ARRIVE BEFORE 8:00 A.M., THERE IS $4-A-DAY PUBLIC PARKING IN THE HARRIS COUNTY PARKING GARAGE AT THE INTERSECTION OF FRANKLIN AND AUSTIN STREETS NEAR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER; IT OFFERS COVERED PARKING AND TUNNEL CONNECTIONS TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER AND THE FAMILY AND CIVIL COURTHOUSES AS WELL.
BY BUS OR RAIL: FOR ROUTE INFORMATION RE METRO RAIL OR BUS - WWW.RIDEMETRO.ORG OR CALL (713) 635-4000.
FINDING THE COURTROOM: HERE'S A HANDY GUIDE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CENTER THAT TELLS YOU HOW THE STRANGE ELEVATOR SYSTEM WORKS AND WHAT FLOOR THE COURTROOM YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS ON.
The integrity of our judicial systerm rests on both
the reality and the appereance of propriety.
Note to law students: I encourage criminal law students to visit a felony (capital murder, 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree or state jail felony) or jail-time (class A and B) misdemeanor criminal trial. See Local Trials to Watch. All courts are open to the public. Except for the occasional high-profile trial, you will never have trouble finding a seat. In fact, you may be the only spectator in attendance. Don't be shy about entering the courtroom. Every court has a vestibule with gunslit windows that allow you to observe whether anything is happening in the courtroom before you enter. When you enter during a trial, don't be surprised if a bailiff approaches you. S/he is just going to ask whether you are a witness.
Directions to the Criminal Justice Center, 1201 Franklin, in downtown Houston, TX, 77002, are contained on the "Announcements" page of the criminal law web site. If you are planning a trip to the local Harris County Criminal Justice Center to watch a particular trial, you may want to check with that court to determine if the trial is under way. On the list of courts below, I will include the phone number of each trial court and my most current information re the name of the court coordinator for each court.
Most trials occur in the afternoon, after the court has completed its morning docket call. If you want to watch some of the better (not afraid to go to trial) criminal trial advocates at work, check the newspapers for crime stories of current trials. The trials reported in the press are typically the juiciest and often involve the most talented prosecution and defense advocates. The trial court prosecutor in Texas is an Assistant District Attorney (Assistant State's Attorney in some states). In Harris County, the defense lawyers are either "retained" (hired) for those defendants with money or "appointed" by the court for those without money, i.e., indigents. [Note: Harris County has been the subject of national attention as the "Death Penalty Capitol of the U.S." - it contains roughly 1 percent of the U.S. population but is responsible for nearly 10 percent of the country's executions since 1976. There has also been continued concern regarding propriety of practices by the Houston Police Crime Lab. Justice in Harris County, Texas, for those who can't afford to pay
for it, may be a bit undercooked. To some indigent defendants, it may seem downright raw.]
We must ask ourselves whether our system of criminal justice ensures fundamental fairness to accused criminals who cannot afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves against accusations filed by the government. With its archaic system of appointing attorneys for indigents, Harris County remains the last major metropolitan area (compare NY and the federal defender services - 1) of the United States without an organized public defender office (1). [Note: Despite periodic sound and fury rumblings (1), the local political powers that be have been resistant to actual change in delivery of legal aid to indigent defendants.] If that is not disturbing, think of a system where we had court-appointed prosecutors in every case, instead of the DA's office of highly-trained devoted career public prosecutors that we do have. If the idea of a public defender seems to makes no sense, why does it make sense to have an ad hoc system of oft ill-trained court-appointed defense attorneys, instead of an organized office of dedicated adequately trained public defenders? Does the ad hoc system foster a culture of "meet 'em, greet 'em and plead 'em" defenders? Why don't we have a public defender system in Houston? Possible Answer: Maybe it's just local partisan politics, imbued with motives of power and control over the administrative process. Maybe not. Some people suggest that the indigent defense function is not free from undue political influence of the judiciary. It is a fact that the candidates for Harris County District Attorney in 2008 all professed to support the current system of court-appointed counsel for indigent accuseds.
[Note: Of course, a typical public defender system still doesn't provide the sort of defense
that a well-heeled defendant can obtain from a privately employed lawyer. Public defenders, typically appointed rather than being popularly elected (Florida and Tennessee being two
notable exceptions), always face the specter of increased caseloads, declining state appropriations leading to lower salaries, and ethical pressures associated with crushing
caseloads that preclude quality representation. Public defender systems also face high
turnover as experienced defenders defect for private practice, assuming there has been
no emphasis placed on long-term retention. Another major issue is who manages the
public defender system; the executive or an independent commission. Do judges have
power to order the legislature to fund a public defender system?
See Hoffman, et al, An Empirical Study of Public
3 Ohio St. J. Crim. L. 223 (2005).]
NOTE: If you are interested in learning how the various counties throughout the State of Texas provide lawyers for indigent persons accused of crime, check out this web site containing each county's indigent defense plan and payment schedule. (1 - Attorney Fee Schedule) Unlike the rest of the country, where public defenders are the overwhelmingly popular choice for providing defense services to indigents, the three branches of Texas government with oversight have managed to thwart this method while publicly claiming to have deep concern about delivery of legal service to indigent defendants. If you want a bit more information about the right to counsel and public vs. private defenders, see Assignment Fifteen in Bushrod's Notes II.
The information collected below regarding courtroom assignment of prosecutors is current as of:
April 2010
All numbers are Area Code 713 Prefix 755
The year the judge was first elected follows the judge's name.
Name of Court Coordinator is below judge's name.
Three prosecutors (last names, chief first) are typically assigned to each court.
Floor location in the Criminal Justice Center is in (__th).
[A substantial number of the local District Judges are ex-prosecutors. Some of the judges have had experience as practicing lawyers. Some have only seen practice from the prosecution side.]
Jurisdiction: Felonies (crimes that carry possible pen or state jail time), misdemeanors involving official misconduct, and jail time misdemeanors transferred from a Constitutional County Court staffed with a non-lawyer judge. See Arts. 4.05, 4.17 CCP. There are roughly 440 District Judges in the State.
Names in red are outstanding judges and prosecutors who are STCL grads.
174th District Court - Judge Rueben Guerro (January 2009)- 6324
Diane Madrid (19th)
Prosecutors: 6106 (Bennett, Omodele, Secrest)
176th District Court - Judge Shawna Reagin (January 2009)- 6328
Karen Hailey (19th)
Prosecutors: 6908 (McCorvey, LaCayo, McCauley, Flores)
177th District Court - Judge Kevin Fine (January 2009) - 6332
Joey DeBruyn (19th)
Prosecutors: 6912 (Exley, Carter, Badger)
178th District Court - Judge David Mendoza (January 2009) - 6336
(previously an outstanding County Criminal Court at Law judge)
Mary Leal (19th)
Prosecutors: 6916 (Irvine, Davis, Byrne)
179th District Court - Judge Randy Roll (January 2009) - 6340
Lynn Balderrama (18th)
Prosecutors: 6957 (Graham, Baily, Jackson)
180th District Court - Judge Debbie Stricklin (January 1995)- 6344
Annette Manuel (18th)
Prosecutors: 6970 (Falk, T. Johnson, Collins, Means)
182nd District Court - Judge Jeannine Barr (January 1995) - 6350
Diane Hasler (18th)
Prosecutors: 6144 (Emmons, Loper, Estrada)
183rd District Court - Judge Vanessa Velasquez (December 2005)- 6354
Eloisa Sanchez (18th)
Prosecutors: 6150 (Nielsen, Moss, Leonard)
184th District Court - Judge Jan Krocker (January 1995)- 6358
Mary McClinton (17th)
Prosecutors: 6154 (Feazel, Lewis, Skillern)
185th District Court - Judge Susan Brown (January 1999) - 6362
Marian Trammell (17th)
Prosecutors: 6162 (Guiney, Sloan, Cooper, Muldrow)
208th District Court - Judge Denise Collins (December 1992)- 6374
Mona Natemeyer (17th)
Prosecutors: 6162 (Primm, Stephenson, Chu)
209th District Court - Judge Michael McSpadden (January 1982)- 6378
(very welcoming to law students - the Senior District Judge)
Kathy Joachim (17th)
Prosecutors: 6166 (Bogar, Bruchmiller, Hennigan)
228th District Court - Judge Mark Carter (November 2003)- 6650
Vanessa Guerrero (16th)
Prosecutors: 6132 (Longoria, Killinger, Allard)
230th District Court - Judge Belinda Hill (March 1997)- 6782
Anita Gunter (16th)
Prosecutors: 6136 (Mitchell, Shapiro, D. Newaz, McLaughlin)
232nd District Court - Judge Mary Lou Keel (January 1995)- 6778
Holli Rich (16th)
Prosecutors: 6140 (Ansari, L. Johnson, Somers)
248th District Court - Judge Joan Campbell (January 1999)- 7094
Vickie Oliver (16th)
Prosecutors: 6128 (Jocher, Kahle, Epley)
262nd District Court - Judge Mike Anderson (January 1999) - 6961
(very welcoming to law students)
Virginia Almanza-Cerda (15th)
Prosecutors: 6173 (Tise, Keagle, Gordon)
263rd District Court - Judge Jim Wallace (January 1995) - 6944
Erica Thomas-Brice (15th)
Prosecutors: 7050 ( Magness, Moseley, Nelson)
337th District Court - Judge Herb Ritchie (January 2009) - 7746
Joseph Debruyn (15th)
Prosecutors: 5605 (Vinas, R. Newaz, Haynes)
338th District Court - Judge Hazel Jones (January 2009)- 7774
Quinesha Ross (15th)
Prosecutors: 5609 (Still, Patrick, Driver)
339th District Court - Judge Maria Jackson (January 2009)- 7784
Cynthia Bates (14th)
Prosecutors: 5613 (Petroff, Mitchell, Benavides, Luong)
351st District Court - Judge Mark Ellis (January 1997)- 5620
Karen Woolf (14th)
Prosecutors: 7252 (Nichols, DeAngelo, White, Cole)
State Jail Felony Court - 5021
Logan, Womble - 6173
All numbers are Area Code 713 Prefix 755
The year the judge was first elected follows the judge's name.
Name of Court Coordinator is below judge's name.
Two or three prosecutors (last names, chief first) are assigned to each court.
Floor location in the Criminal Justice Center is in (__th).
Jurisdiction: There are two types of county courts.
First, there is the constitutional county court
created by the Texas Constitution but whose jurisdiction is defined by statute.
There is a county court in every one of Texas' 254 counties.
Next, there is the statutory county court at law created by the Legislature
pursuant to Art. V, Section 1 of the Texas Constitution.
There are roughly 225 county courts at law in various counties in Texas.
Constitutional county courts and county courts at law have appellate criminal
jurisdiction over cases in which justices of the peace have original criminal jurisdiction.
Both courts have original jurisdiction over jail-time (Class A & B) misdemeanors. See Art. 4.07 CCP .
CCCL #1 - Visiting Judge (1) - 6180
Karen Harrison (8th)
Prosecutors: 5847 (Burdette, Thomas, Nelson)
CCCL #2 - Judge Bill Harmon (January 2007*) - 6184
(*Note: Bill Harmon served for many years as a District Court judge.)
(very welcoming to law students)
Rosario Khalaf (8th)
Prosecutors: 5850 (Bolletino, Littrell, Zeitzoff)
CCCL#3 - Visiting Judge (1) - 6188
Margaret Wolfe (8th)
Prosecutors: 5853 (Pitoniak, Cox, Garcia-Gum)
CCCL#4 - Judge Jim Anderson (January 1987)- 6192
(very welcoming to law students - the Dean of CCCL judges)
Yolanda Florido (8th)
Prosecutors: 5856 (Dunbar, Manning, Abrams)
CCCL#5 - Judge Margaret Stewart Harris (January 2003) - 6196
Virgilee Saulsberry (9th)
Prosecutors: 5859 (LaMendola, Feay, Phanco)
CCCL#6 - Judge Larry Standley (January 1999) - 6200
(very welcoming to law students)
Caprice Rubal (9th)
Prosecutors: 5862 (St. Julian, Robertson, K. Brown)
CCCL#7 - Judge Pam Derbyshire (January 1999) - 620
Peggy Gunder (9th)
Prosecutors: 5865 (Sample, Skagerberg, Robinson)
CCCL#8 - Judge Jay Karahan (January 2003)- 6208
(very welcoming to law students)
(previously an outstanding federal and state prosecutor and defense lawyer)
Donna Ramos (9th)
Prosecutors: 5868 (Pope, Burro, Pierce)
CCCL#9 - Judge Analia Wilkerson (January 1995) - 6212
Corina Ramos (10th)
Prosecutors: 5871 (Alfaro, Dickey, Reed)
CCCL#10 - Judge Sherman Ross (November 1981)- 6216
Cindy Bernd (10th)
Prosecutors: 7086 (Teare, Ketcham, Schultz)
CCCL#11 - Judge Diane Bull (January 1995) - 7780
Rachel Ferrel (10th)
Prosecutors: 7693 (Rafiee, Mance, McFarland)
CCCL#12 - Judge Robin Brown (January 1995) - 7738
Brenda Bedford (10th)
Prosecutors: 7696 (Whited, Mickelson, Wilson)
CCCL#13 - Judge Mark Atkinson (January 1987) - 7950
(very welcoming to law students - long service )
Mary Smith ( 11th)
Prosecutors: 8321 (Brodsky, Werlinger, Leslie)
CCCL#14 - Judge Michael Fields (January 1999) - 5683
Aileen Walker (11th)
Prosecutors: 8327 (Matthews, Le, Wu)
CCCL#15 - Judge Jean Spradling Hughes (November 1995) - 4760
Laura Colbert (11th)
Prosecutors: 4745 (Folterman, Howell, Craft)
All numbers are Area Code 713 Prefix 755
Located in the Family Law Center , 1115 Congress Avenue
Floor location in the Family Law Center is in (__th).
Jurisdiction: The Government Code provides that each district court, county court, and statutory county court exercising any of the constitutional jurisdiction of either a county court or a district court has jurisdiction over juvenile matters and may be designated a juvenile court. See Section 23.001.
313th - Judge Pat Shelton (1995) - 713 222- 4900
Prosecutors: 5713 (M. Oncken, Fuller, Gravois, Felicia)
314th - Judge John Phillips (2003) - 713 222- 4910
Prosecutors: 5714 (McCollum, Meriwether, Chase)
315 - Judge Michael Schneider (2006)- 713 222- 4950
Prosecutors: 5712 (Lambert, Reyna, Holt, Braun)
Truancy Division 713 368-3923
Rahman, Hernandez, Williams, Walton, Mason
Detention Court 713 512-4091
Sedaris
Names and phones of Harris County JP's are listed below.
Year that the JP was first elected follows the JP's name.
JP Courts are located throughout Harris County.
Jurisdiction: Justices of the peace have original jurisdiction in criminal cases
punishable by fine only or punishable by a fine (fineable misdemeanors) and as
authorized by statute, a sanction not consisting of confinement or imprisonment;
or arising under Chapter 106, Alcoholic Beverage Code, that do not
include confinement as an authorized sanction.
See also Section 26.042(e) Gov't Code regarding appeal from justice court.
The Texas Constitution, Art. V, Section 18 requires that each county in the State establish
between one and eight justice of the peace precincts, depending upon the population
of the county. Also, depending on the population of the precinct, either one or two
justice of the peace courts are to be established in each precinct.
There are more than 820 justice of the peace courts in Texas.
Statewide, about one in twenty JP's is a licensed lawyer.
Every county in Texas has at least one justice of the peace,
but some populous counties, e.g., Harris with the maximum of 16, have more.
Armando Rodriquez - Pct. 6, Place 2 (June 1973) - 713 921 6141
Richard C. Vara - Pct. 6, Place 1 (June 1974) - 713 921 1576
William V. Yeoman - Pct. 5, Place 2 (January 1979) - 281 463 2341
Tom Lawrence - Pct. 4, Place 2 (January 1983) - 281 446 7191
George Risner - Pct. 2, Place 2 (January 1987) - 713 920 1828
David Patronella - Pct. 1, Place 2 (January 1989) - 713 755 5125
Tony Polumbo - Pct. 3, Place 2 (January 1991) - 281 427 7449
Dale M. Gorczynski - Pct. 1, Place 1 (January 1993) - 713 697 1224
Mike Parrott - Pct. 3, Place 1 (January 1993) - 713 450 2409
Louie Ditta - Pct. 8, Place 2 (September 1997) - 281 488 8780
Jo Ann Delgado - Pct. 2, Place 1 (January 2000) - 281 481 9630
J. Kent Adams - Pct. 4, Place 1 (March 2001) - 281 376 5512
Russ Ridgway - Pct. 5, Place 1 (June 2003)- 713 661 2276
Zinetta Burney - Pct. 7, Place 2 (January 2005) - 713 643 1512
Hillary Green - Pct. 7, Place 1 (June 2007) - 713 747 3553
Holly Williamson - Pct. 8, Place 1 (January 2009) - 281 479 6900
Justice of the Peace Court Prosecutors: 5930
Craft (Chief),
(Reece, Buess, Duncan, Faisz, Hollowell, Aslett, Bolin, Walker, Mahadass, Gary)
4th Floor , Harris County Criminal Justice Center
Information Web Site: www.co.harris.tx.us/da or
www.hctx.net/da - on this site, you will find general information
about the local DA's Office and answers to many F.A.Q's about
the law, e.g., links to individual courts and staff, non-disclosure
procedures and a downloadable form petition for non-disclosure,
drug courts eligibility under "courts," etc.
(Current as of: May 2009)
Area Code 713 Prefix 755
District Attorney's Office - Information - 5800
District Attorney: Pat Lycos (Former Judge Lycos took office in January 2009)
First Assistant: Jim Leitner - 5814
General Counsel: John Barnhill - 5826
Professional Development Bureau Chief: Roger Bridgwater - 5846
Governmental Integrity Bureau Chief: Steven Morris 8330
Special Prosecutions Bureau Chief: Joni Vollman - 8333
Felony Trial Bureau Chief: Maria McAnulty - 5822
Public Services & Infrastructure Bureau Chief: Hannah Chow - 6103
Felony Division Chiefs: (A) Don Smyth - 6912; (B) Terrance Windham - 6158;
(C) Denise Bradley - 6173; (D) Bill Hawkins - 5605; (E) Julian Ramirez - 5609
Juvenile Division Chief: Bill Moore -5874
Pubic Integrity Division Chief: Terese Buess - 8330
Hartman, Divine, Peneguy
Police Integrity Division Chief: Clint Greenwood - 7077
Rucker, Bily,
Grand Jury Division Chief: Marc Brown - 6170
Garcia, Gilbert, Byrom, Fortenberry, Oswald, Nunnally, Mecca
Misdemeanor Division Chief: Kate Dolan - 3796 Palmer
Crimes Against Children Division Chief: Denise Oncken - 5546
Darby, Antu, Keiter, Dupree, Thomas, Jordon, Miller
Family Criminal Law Division Chief: Jane Walters - 5888
Barron, Gulamali, Warren, Bard, Frazier, Houlton, Morton, Thompson
Intake Division Chief: Lynne Parsons - 6103
Victim's Rights Division Director: Michelle Permenter - 6655
Financial Crimes Division Chief : Kathryn Williford - 8333
Baker, George, K. Johnson, Magee, Shipley, Nachtigall
Major Offender Division Chief: Steve Baldassano - 6178
Dozier, Spence, Allen, McDaniel, Hart, Barnett, Fladder
Check Fraud Division Chief: John Boone - 7883
Hernandez-Haby
Environmental Crimes Division Chief: Roger Haseman - 7889
Selinidis, Graham, Cornelius
Public Assistance Fraud Division Chief: Carl Hobbs - 5836
Azzo, Gongora
Bond Forfeiture Division Chief: Kathy Braddock - 5824
Butera, Conrad
General Litigation Division Chief: Scott Durfee - 5816
Rose, Klibert, Milligan
Appellate Division Chief: Alan Curry - 5826
Asset Forfeiture Division Chief: Karen Morris - 5461
Beavers, Hanneman, Spalding
Post-Conviction Writs Division Chief: Roe Wilson - 6657
Hardaway, Hampton, Harvey, Hill, Smith, Roady, Newell
Consumer Protection Section Chief: Markay Stroud - 5836
Lawrence, Turner
Identity Theft Section Chief: John Brewer - 4519
Leuchtmann, McClees
Post-Conviction Review Section Chief: Baldwin Chin 6657
O'Neal, Cory
Vehicular Crimes Section Chief: Catherine Evans - 3286
Baimbridge, Knecht
Animal Cruelty Section Chief: Belinda Smith - 0184
Collier
Fugitive Apprehension Section Chief: Russell Turbeville - 0209
Child Exploitation Section Chief: Eric Devlin - 5546
Protection of the Elderly Section &
Mental Health Section Chief: Kevin Keating - 5919
Bishop, Crockard
DIVERT Section: Munoz, Mejia, Hong - 0700
Justice Court Chief: Johanna Craft - 5930
Chief Investigator: Don McWilliams - 5813
County Switchboard Information: 713 755 - 5000
DA address: 1201 Franklin, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77002-1923
Note: Harris County has one elected District Attorney. There are roughly 250
Assistant District Attorneys in Harris County - a relatively small number
for the fourth largest city in the U.S., particularly when compared to
Los Angeles, California, where, even after recent budget cuts, there
are over 1000 Deputy D.A.'s. (about 600 doing criminal prosecution),
Chicago (Cook County), Illinois - which has almost 1000 Assistant State Attorneys,
and the Bronx area of New York City - which has almost 400 Assistant District Attorneys.
Note to Criminal Law Students: The Harris County District Attorney offers a paid DA Internship
to qualified law students. If you are interested, you may wish to apply
Municipal (Corporation) Courts - Not Courts of Harris County
As one might expect, there are two types of municipal courts in Texas. Section 29.002 of the TX Government Code provides for the establishment of at least one statutory municipal court in each incorporated city in Texas. If the legislative body of the municipality determines that more courts are needed, the municipality can create a municipal courts of record in addition to the statutory municipal court. See Gov't Code Sections 30.00002(2), 30.00003(a). The qualifications of judges of statutory municipal courts are set by municipal ordinance, see Gov't Code Sections 29.004(b), 29.101(d)(1), 29.102(d)(1), 29.103(d)(1). However, judges of municipal courts of record must be licensed attorneys with two or more years of experience in Texas practice. See Gov't Code
Section 30.00006. Statutory municipal courts have exclusive original jurisdiction over criminal cases that are; (1) punishable by a fine not to exceed $2000 in all cases arising under municipal ordinances that govern fire safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation, (2) punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 in all other cases arising under municipal ordinance or joint board rule, and cognizant under municipal ordinance or joint board rules regarding the operation of an airport under Section 22.074 of the Transportation Code. Gov't Code Section 29.003(a). A statutory municipal court has concurrent jurisdiction with the justice of the peace court of a precinct in which the municipality is located in all criminal cases arising under state law within the territorial limits of the municipality and punishable by fine only. Gov't Code Section 29.003(b). Municipal courts of record have jurisdiction under the general law for municipal courts and also under the Local Government Code. See Gov't Code Section 30.00005(a) & (b). The legislative body of a municipality may also provide that the municipal court of record has concurrent jurisdiction with a justice court in criminal cases that arise within the territorial limits of the municipality and that are punishable by fine. Gov't. Code Section 30.00005(c).
NOTE: Here's information on locations and phone numbers of Harris County Traffic Courts.
Here's some information on City of Houston Municipal Courts.
Federal Courts in the Houston Area
Note: There are 9 federal judges (listed below) and 5 federal magistrates (also listed below) in the local Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas. The federal courts regularly hold criminal trials, but nowhere near the number that are held in the state courts. Federal trials are more likely to involve white-collar corporate criminals and high-dollar retained lawyers, though the somewhat draconian federal drug laws yield many defendants. The prosecutors are Assistant U.S. Attorneys. The defenders may be retained, appointed CJA panel members, or lawyers employed by the quite competent Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Texas.
If you want to observe a federal trial, you may walk (above ground or by tunnel) 8 blocks from the school to the federal courthouse. All courtrooms are open to the public. Compared to
the bedlam of the state courthouse, you may find the atmosphere in federal court
akin to a very ritzy funeral parlor.
The address is listed below. Happy hunting!
UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
515 Rusk
Houston, Texas 77002
(Month and Year Judge Began Service on Current Court)
The Area Code is 713 Prefix 250
NANCY F. ATLAS (August 1995) 5407
KEITH P. ELLISON (February 2005) 5806
VANESSA GILMORE (June 1994) 5512
MELINDA HARMON (June 1989) 5518
KENNETH M. HOYT (April 1988) 5515
LYNN N. HUGHES (October 1985) 5516
SIMEON LAKE (September 1988) 5177
GRAY H. MILLER (April 2006) 5377
LEE ROSENTHAL (July 1992) 5517
Federal Magistrates
(Month and Year Magistrate Began Serving on Current Court)
The Area Code is 713, Prefix 250
CALVIN BOTLEY (October 1979) 5536
MARY MILLOY (October 1992) 5158
FRANCES STACY (February 1990) 5565
NANCY JOHNSON (January 1982) 5534
STEPHEN SMITH (July 2004) 5100
United States Attorney for Southern District of Texas
713 567 9000
Whether to talk to the police without consulting a lawyer - a crim law professor's advice (20 mins.). This clip is from televangelist Pat Roberson's Regent Law School, a lower tier institution that was a real favorite of the Bush2 administration.
[Note: The last time I encountered anyone this voluble, I bought two sets of knives and a cheese-slicer.]
SIDEBAR
TEXAS CODES
TEXAS CONSTITUTION
RULES OF EVIDENCE
FEDERAL CRIMES & PROCEDURE
Here's a web site that gives some advice to the layperson who is trying to research a legal problem.
Whether to talk to the police without consulting a lawyer - a police officer's advice (20 min's.) The cop is apparently a law student at Regent and conceivably a student in the fast-talking professor's class. Otherwise, why would he sell out the constabulary?
