Kaycee Jones
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Kaycee L. Jones is a judge for Texas District 411. She was elected in November 2012 and re-elected on November 8, 2016.[1]
Biography
Smith received her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.[2]
Jones was an assistant criminal district attorney for Polk County from October of 2002 until she joined the District Court in January of 2013.[2]
Elections
2016
Texas held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016. A primary runoff election was held on May 24, 2016, for any seat where the top vote recipient did not receive a majority of the primary vote.[3] Incumbent Kaycee Jones ran unopposed in the Texas 411th District Court Republican primary.[1]
| Texas 411th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
 Kaycee Jones Incumbent | ||
Kaycee Jones won without opposition in the general election.
Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.[4]
Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."[5]
Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen;
- a resident of Texas;
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- between the ages of 25 and 75;*[6]
- a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
- a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.[4]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[4]
2012
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Jones ran for election to the 411th District Court and defeated incumbent Robert Hill Trapp.[7]
Noteworthy events
Jones receives text from former Judge Coker during trial
Jones was reportedly on the receiving end of text messages that ended former Judge Elizabeth E. Coker's judicial career. Coker was serving on the 258th District Court on August 8, 2012, when she allegedly sent a text to then-prosecutor Jones during the trial for the case of State v. David M. Reeves. The case involved a felony count of injury to a child. Coker, in her text to Jones, made suggestions for the District Attorney's office to ensure a guilty verdict. The defendant was not found guilty, but an investigator for the D.A.'s office reported the texting incident, which led to a disciplinary investigation. Coker reached a settlement where she agreed to resign from office in order to avoid an impending impeachment.[8][9] For the full story, see Elizabeth E. Coker's page.
According to Jones, she was not the prosecutor for the Reeves case. She received the text from Coker and wrote down exactly what the text said on a legal pad. She then passed the note to an investigator from her office, who gave it to the prosecutor for the case. Jones admitted her role in the incident and says she "...now fully appreciate(s) the importance of the impartiality of a judge in a trial and (her) responsibilities as an attorney not to engage in such conduct."[8] The State Bar of Texas conducted an investigation regarding Jones' role in the incident and found her guilty of professional misconduct, issuing a public reprimand and requiring Jones pay $650 in attorneys' fees.[10][11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Campaign Website Bio
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Texas Courts Online, "Administrative Judicial Regions," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," November 6, 2012
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Your Houston News, "Disgraced judge steps down as part of commission agreement," October 21, 2013
- ↑ Gavel to Gavel, "Texas House considers impeachment proceedings against judge," August 19, 2013
- ↑ ABA Journal, "Judge texted during trial to help state, prosecutor says," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Prosecutorial Accountability, "TX: Prosecutor-Turned-Judge Gets Lightest Possible Punishment for Brazen Misconduct," June 2, 2014
