Texas Judges Engaging Community Members
Each of the Texas engagement events actively involved the local jurisdiction’s judge(s) and other court actors. Ways in which the court actors were sometimes engaged included:
- Welcoming participants and stressing the importance of their participation in the engagement
- Presenting information on the court and their roles in the court
- Observing small group discussions among public participants
- Engaging in or answering questions during discussions with or among the public
- Helping to facilitate some part of the discussion events
- Summarizing what was expressed and learned during the event
More specifically, in Houston, Judge Kelli Johnson of the 178th Criminal District Court, Judge Toria Finch of Harris County’s Ninth Criminal Court, and Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess welcomed participants, spoke about their roles as judges and court personnel, and discussed the importance of obtaining public feedback about the courts. The court actors silently observed small group discussions about the engagement topics.
In Alpine, Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th District Court provided welcoming remarks, spoke about his role as a judge, and engaged participants during small group discussions. The judge also facilitated a discussion wrap-up session.
In Brownsville, Judge David Sanchez of the 444th District Court welcomed participants and spoke about his judicial experiences. Judge Sanchez listened to the small group discussions and summarized his observations and what he learned.