What’s happening?
At a Jan. 28 meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved a resolution supporting Senate Bill 328 filed by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, which would add two additional district courts for the county.
The bill has yet to be voted on or dismissed, although the session doesn’t end until June 2. If signed into law, the bill will go into effect Sept. 1, according to the draft legislation.
The filing comes after county officials said the courts have seen an increased number of cases caused by the growing population.
Notable quote
“It’s been many years since we’ve added courts to the county, [and] there’s a bill that’s been introduced, so we are all in support of that bill to get additional district courts,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers said.
What else?
The county court system has seen several other changes since the beginning of the year, including the appointment of the county’s first magistrate court judge, Tony K. Duckett, who began his role Jan. 21.
“I’m honored to be selected to serve as magistrate judge for Fort Bend County,” Duckett said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the judges and other county departments to develop a magistrate court to efficiently meet applicable local, state and federal laws.”
Prior to Duckett, the county was using rotating associates and visiting judges to complete magistrate hearings, where preliminary hearings are held in criminal cases after defendants are arrested.
Another note
Meanwhile, Judge Christian Becerra, who has served the 434th District Court since 2020, became administrative judge in January. This came after the former administrative judge, 400th District Court Judge Tameika Carter, didn’t win re-election in November.
As administrative judge, which leads the county’s judges, Becerra said he will continue to push for needed audio-visual updates in the county’s county’s Justice Center and ensure the county has enough space for judges as court proceedings increase with the population.
“We’ve got to continue to keep up with that demand, and that means building out the courtrooms here in the courthouse,” he said.
Additionally, Becerra said he hopes to create a unified process for all Fort Bend County courtroom proceedings so staff, lawyers and residents know what to expect when they walk into a courtroom.
