Backlog
How will you address the case backlog in your court to ensure timely resolution for all parties?
When I took this court in 2019, it carried the largest backlog among Harris County’s civil courts. We cleared it, at times exceeding the Office of Court Administration’s clearance standards by as much as 114%. As county population growth has driven a sharp rise in filings — especially evictions — we sought and received approval for the court’s first-ever administrative judge, and the county has since added a fifth civil court. Going forward, I will continue the practices that have kept us ahead: early case management, consistent scheduling, limiting unnecessary continuances, and using technology like the automated docket check-in my court’s interns helped build. I will also keep advocating for the resources needed to sustain this progress.
Efficiency/accessibility
How will you ensure efficient and equitable resolution of matters that come before your court, and that all residents — regardless of their financial means — have meaningful access to legal resources?
Efficiency and equity go hand in hand. I rely on early case management, consistent scheduling, and limited continuances to keep cases moving without sacrificing fairness. On access, my court was the first in the county to go paperless in 2019, and we’ve since expanded virtual hearings and e-notices. During the pandemic, we partnered with Houston Volunteer Lawyers and area law schools to connect eviction defendants with representation, and offered oral hearings so self-represented litigants could confer safely with opposing counsel. We continue building on that with user-friendly online forms and, eventually, help-desks and kiosks — so access to justice never depends on the ability to pay.
