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Maria Teresa Herr
Maria Teresa "Tessa" Herr was the district judge for the 186th District in Bexar County, Texas. She was elected in 2002 and retired in 2014.[1][2]
Career
Prior to her election to the bench, Herr practiced law as a prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorney's Office.[1]
Elections
2010
Herr was re-elected to the 186th District Court after running unopposed.[3]
2006
Herr ran unopposed for her 186th District Court seat in 2006, and was re-elected.[4]
2002
Herr was elected to the 186th District in 2002 with 50.04 percent of the vote, running as a Democrat.[5]
Noteworthy cases
In June of 2007, Judge Herr presided over a jury trial in the 186th district concerning a man accused of killing 13-year-old Beatrice Diaz during a drive-by shooting. The jury found defendant Israel Mata guilty, and Judge Herr sentenced him to life in prison. Mata's brother, Arturo Mata Jr., was convicted of driving the vehicle Mata did the shooting from and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.[6]
Mata appealed the case to the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, complaining that "the trial court erred in allowing the jury to hear evidence that Mata was known to carry guns and was a drug dealer".[7] Appellate judge Karen Angelini affirmed the ruling of District 186, and denied Mata's motion for a mistrial.[8]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bexar County, Texas District Court, "Judge Maria Teresa (Tessa) Herr," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ San Antonio Express-News, "GOP nearly sweeps all Bexar judge races," November 5, 2014
- ↑ Bexar County, "2010 Unofficial Results, Joint, General, Special & Bond," accessed March 27, 2015
- ↑ Bexar County: 2006 election results
- ↑ Bexar County: 2002 election results
- ↑ Texas District & County Attorneys Assocation, "'Poster boy for gang violence' handed life," July 31, 2007
- ↑ My Sapolitics, "Susan Reed Press Release – 186th District Court – Honorable Judge Maria Teresa Herr," July 17, 2009
- ↑ Mata v. State of Texas, 4th Court of Appeals opinion
