Some Harris County judges felt the wrath of voters concerned about what some call a broken bond system. But will it be enough to change the justice system?
HOUSTON, Texas -- When Paul Castro went to vote during the 2022 primary, he was more educated than before when it came to Harris County criminal court judges.Paul's 17-year-old son, David, was murdered in the summer of 2021. David was shot to death in a road rage incident following an Astros game and Paul was reluctantly sucked into the world of the Harris County Criminal Justice system and the ongoing felony bond debate.
Four Democratic incumbent district court judges were voted out. Among those voted out was Greg Glass, who didn't hold one trial for a year and a half, and who lowered bond for the man who would shoot and kill Houston Police Officer Bill Jeffrey in September 2021, despite a prosecutor's request to deny it.Judge Jason Luong will be in a runoff. Eight other district court judges won their races but five ran unopposed.
"The incumbents were hurt, I think, in many ways, by guilt-by-association in the sense that they, for rather right or wrong, are associated with a trend in Harris County where people believe lower bonds and allowing violent people back on the streets has had an adverse impact on public safety and so you saw some backlash at the polls," Jones said.
Jones does not think it will be enough to flip the seats in November but Paul Castro believes a message has been sent. "I think everyone needs to be paying attention to this and understanding that, as elected officials, they're responsible to us, the community, the voters, and if they don't do what we're asking them to do, then we'll find someone who does."For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on
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