Backlog
How will you address the case backlog in your court to ensure timely resolution for all parties?
I am proud to say we have maintained one of the highest clearance rates in the county. Harris County Civil Court, No. 1 has on average has a clearance rate over 100 percent. My staff and I closely monitor our caseload and add extra dockets as needed to ensure our backlog is addressed quickly and efficiently. We use our case management system and dispute resolution to help avoid a large backlog in our high-volume court.
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?
County civil courts handle high-volume cases under the $325, 000 jurisdictional limit and appeals from the 16 justice courts across Harris County. My colleagues and I take pride in being accessible to the public. Ensuring our courts are accessible, efficient and equitable for everyone is a priority for me. In my court, litigants have the opportunity to appear via zoom for almost all hearings. Zoom hearings allow litigants to take less time off of work and it saves them money. If they want to have their hearing in person, that option is available as well. Parties can preferentially set their cases to ensure adequate time is allocated for their hearings. We work with all parties to ensure they have meaningful access to our court.
