I value HCYD’s leadership role and diligent work in the Hays County and beyond. As a progressive Democrat, my values align with those I have heard expressed by HCYD leaders. I was honored to receive HCYD's support when I ran in 2024, and the stakes are even higher in 2026. I would be honored and humbled to receive HCYD’s endorsement for my statewide run in 2026.

The Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) is the top criminal court in Texas. I have no Democratic opponent. This is a statewide race, and it will be an open bench because the incumbent is stepping down. In addition to my JD from UT Law School, I have a Masters from the LBJ School of Public Affairs. I have litigated hundreds of criminal appellate matters in several courts, including over two-dozen cases in the CCA (from misdemeanors to capital murders). I do not shy away from tough cases and I have prosecuted government officials when they break the law, including a former congressman for money laundering. I have tried several jury trials as a prosecutor and one as a criminal defense attorney. I have pursued cases to the US Supreme Court, achieving a rare remand on an issue in a murder case.

I served as the Rules Attorney for the CCA, writing rules and opinions and advising the CCA judges on the law. I also designed part of the CCA's website. As an adjunct professor, I taught my UT Law School students how to write for the CCA.

Most significantly, through my work with Travis County's Conviction Integrity Unit investigating wrongful conviction claims through methods like DNA testing, I had the life-changing experience of realizing that I had inadvertently prosecuted innocent people for crimes they did not commit, resulting in unjust incarceration. I worked for justice in those cases, but I feel must do more. That experience revealed the cracks in the foundation of our criminal justice system and the ways that the system can fail us. I decided to run for the CCA because it is the “ultimate factfinder” on most actual innocence cases in Texas. It is critical that the court fairly, justly, and thoroughly review cases based on the Constitution, the Rule of Law, current scientific knowledge, and facts—not politics. I have the courage and determination to make these tough decisions and stand up for justice.

1. Fairly, justly, and thoroughly consider wrongful conviction claims. In my work with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, I prosecuted violent crimes for many years to keep victims and our community safe. Over the last five years, I have worked with the DA’s Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate wrongful conviction claims. I was shocked and dismayed when our team uncovered wrongful convictions in our county and a few of the cases I originally prosecuted turned out to be wrongful convictions. That experience revealed to me the cracks in the foundation of our criminal justice system and the many ways that the system can and does fail. The CCA is the “ultimate factfinder” on actual innocence cases in Texas, and it is critical that the Court fairly, justly, and thoroughly review cases based on the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the facts revealed in the record, not based on politics. I have the courage and determination to make these tough decisions and stand up for justice.

2. Treat everyone with dignity and humanity. I will strive to ensure that the rest of the Court understands the documented disproportionate impact on minority defendants, families, and communities of color in Texas. I will prioritize measures that move us toward an impartial and fair justice system where all litigants, victims, and others who come before the court are treated with dignity and humanity. And I will accord civil rights and hate crimes cases the full presumption of regularity to which they are justly entitled under the law.

3. Safeguard the independence and Impartiality of the Court. Texas law requires that judges perform their duties without bias or prejudice—they must not allow external forces or relationships to influence their decisions. Yet courts today face an unprecedented level of hostility, viciousness, and political pressure from groups that seek to influence through intimidation and fear. Threats of violence against judges have increased precipitously in recent years. As a judge, even in the face of such intimidation, I will act with courage, impartiality, and integrity, grounding my decisions in the factual record, the constitution, and the Rule of Law. What’s more, I will fight to safeguard the independence and integrity of the Court and the entire judiciary against coercion by those that seek to undermine our system of justice and our democracy.

I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty. Title says it all.

Courts today face an unprecedented level of hostility, viciousness, and political pressure from groups that seek to influence through intimidation and fear. Threats of violence against judges have increased by 400% in recent years. Billionaires invest fortunes to oust judges who make a single decision they perceive to be against their interests, regardless of whether it is legally supported. Even in the face of such intimidation, judges must nevertheless act with courage, impartiality, and integrity, grounding their decisions in the factual record, the constitution, and the Rule of Law. In a time when marginalized groups such as racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, and immigrants are experiencing a high level of systemic prejudice, it is crucial that judges follow the Code of Judicial Conduct and treat everyone who comes before the courts with dignity and humanity.

Our courts must be independent, impartial, free of bias or prejudice based upon race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or any other unconstitutional ground. Both overt and implicit bias are unacceptable. What’s more, judges must ground their decisions in a fair and thorough evaluation of the record and the rule of law, without bending to outside pressure or threats. No one is above the law, and no one is below it. Finally, judges must be courteous and treat everyone who comes before the courts with dignity and humanity.

Judges must remain aware of the economic status of all who come before the court, ensuring that decision about bail/bond, restitution, fees, etc. are made with awareness of that status. Judges should remain cognizant not only of the facts of the crime, danger to the victim or the community, flight risk, and the injury to the victim, but also the financial limitations of the accused person. Within the confines of the law, judges should endeavor to ensure that a person does not remain incarcerated simply because he or she is impoverished and cannot pay bail or fees.