Denise Pratt
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Denise Pratt was a judge of the 311th District Court in Texas. She was elected in 2010 and resigned from the bench March 28, 2014.[1] (See story below.)
Pratt resigned after the primary election. Although she received the most votes of the candidates running for her seat, she did not receive enough votes to avoid a runoff election. Due to the timing of her resignation announcement, Pratt's name remained on the runoff ballot.[2] However, according to her campaign website she ended her campaign for re-election when she resigned.[3]
Elections
2014
See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Pratt ran for re-election to the 311th District Court.
Primary: She was successful in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 29.8 percent of the vote. She competed against Donna Detamore, Philip Placzek, Alicia Franklin and Anthony Magdaleno.
Runoff: Despite withdrawing from the race after the primary election, Pratt's name appeared on the runoff ballot on May 27, 2014. She was defeated, earning 22.55 percent of the vote.
[2][4]
2010
Pratt defeated Deborah Wright in the race for a seat on the 311th District Court. She won the general election with 54.8 percent of the vote.[5][6]
Noteworthy events
Complaint for alleged backdating of court records (2013)
Greg Enos, a family court lawyer, filed a complaint against Judge Pratt in October of 2013, claiming that she had backdated court orders. The complaint sparked an investigation and reportedly caused one of Pratt's clerks to resign. A grand jury did not indict Pratt in the matter, and the judge maintained her innocence.[7]
Additional complaints filed over more backdating and hundreds of dismissed cases (2014)
In January of 2014, attorney Enos filed a second complaint, which accused Pratt of illegally dismissing hundreds of cases that had come before her without giving proper notice to the parties involved. Most of those cases were dismissed on December 30 and 31, 2013. Enos said that the dismissals were "going to have terrible consequences for children and families."[8] Pratt's lawyer, Terry Yates, pointed to technical difficulties with the new electronic filing system, though a spokesman for the district clerk's office said that the new system had nothing to do with it. Yates also said the lawyers could get their cases reinstated, explaining, "They've just got to file a motion to reinstate, if someone's case was dismissed for want of prosecution, so it's really no big deal."[8][9]
Wendy Burgower, a family lawyer whose firm received notices of cancellation for two pending cases via postcard, said, "Judges have every right to dismiss cases that aren't moving, but I've never in my life seen it done without notice and a hearing."[8]
Yates said that dismissing old cases to clear out a packed docket was a common move for judges. Most of the issue, however, centered not on whether or not the judge could dismiss cases, but whether she gave lawyers proper notice.[8]
Enos accused Pratt of backdating documents again in February 2014. The complaint included statements from witnesses--a couple who claimed that Pratt told them she was backdating an order in their case.[10]
Pratt resigns, withdraws from election; campaign signs stay up, name still on ballot (2014)
On March 28, 2014, Pratt resigned and dropped out of the race for re-election. She claimed it was because of "relentless attacks by my political opponents". Meanwhile, prosecutors continued to investigate her for dismissing more than 600 cases, allegedly without providing notice to the parties involved or their lawyers.[1]
Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced in May that Pratt had resigned as part of a plea agreement to avoid being indicted for tampering with court records. Anderson also noted that under the deal, Pratt could never again serve as a judge.[11]
Before her resignation, Pratt had competed against four other candidates in the March 4 Republican primary election. Although she received the most votes, it wasn't enough to avoid a runoff contest. Consequently, although she resigned before the May 27 runoff, her name still appeared on the ballot, along with the second-place GOP candidate, Alicia Franklin York.[1]
In the days leading up to the May 27 runoff, the Houston Chronicle reported signs supporting Pratt's bid for re-election were seen near polling locations, including a row of nine signs along a street near one polling place.[12] However, Pratt's campaign website stated:
| “ | Despite published reports to the contrary, I have, in fact, suspended my reelection efforts and I am not conducting a campaign.[13] | ” |
| —Denise Pratt[3] | ||
If Pratt were to have won the runoff election, she would have secured the Republican nomination for the Texas District 311 seat and appeared on the ballot to face the Democratic candidate, Sherri Cothrun, in the general election.[12]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Houston Chronicle, "Embattled judge Pratt resigns, suspends campaign," March 28, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 www.deniseprattforjudge.com, "Re-Elect Denis Pratt 311th Family District Judge," April 2, 2014
- ↑ Harris County Texas, "Republican Party Cumulative Report - March 4, 2014 Primary Election," March 5, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ The Houston Chronicle, "Harris County Election Results"
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Low turnout and low interest for runoffs," April 14, 2010
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Grand jury no-bills family court judge," December 20, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Houston Chronicle, "Family judge's mass dismissal of cases has lawyers crying foul," January 11, 2014
- ↑ The Texas Observer, "What Does Judge Denise Pratt Have to Do to Lose Her Job?" January 22, 2014
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Enos lodges third complaint against Pratt," February 14, 2014
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "DA: Pratt's resignation was a deal," May 7, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Houston Chronicle, "Campaign signs for resigned judge spotted at early voting sites," May 22, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
