Defending People

the art and science of criminal defense trial lawyering

Who Will Be Our Next D.A.?

The local Republican mucky-mucks met with Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal last week, asking him not to run for reelection. Chuck refused their request, announcing publicly that he is going to run and he is going to win. The party is interviewing potential candidates to run against Chuck. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. today, so shortly after close of business we should know who will be running, with the party’s support, against Chuck in the Republican primary.

Several lawyers have been discussed as possible contenders: four judges (Vanessa Velasquez, Mike Fields, Brock Thomas, and Mike Anderson), a defender (Jim Leitner), and a retired judge (Pat Lykos). A judge would, as I understand it, have to resign her bench to run for D.A., so I don’t think it’s likely that Velasquez, Fields, Thomas, or Anderson will run. Leitner and Lykos both ran against Chuck in the Republican primary in 2000; Lykos forced a runoff, which she lost. (Charles Kuffner thinks Lykos is the most likely challenger; I concur.)

As a defender, I want my adversaries in disarray, their morale shattered. At this point, it appears that a successful challenger (whether a Republican or Democrat C.O. Bradford) would shake things up in the short run: any regime change in the DA’s office (Chuck was Johnny Holmes’s chosen successor) will lead to a shakeup, with lots of ADAs promoted, demoted, resigning or being fired. But I know a derailment when I see one coming and, over the long term, I don’t see any of the named contenders being as effective at diminishing morale among, as well as public confidence in, my adversaries as Chuck in coming years.

Tags:


This entry was posted by Mark Bennett on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Chuck Rosenthal, off the rails. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

About The Author

Mark Bennett
Mark Bennett got his letter of marque from the Supreme Court of Texas in May 1995. He is famous for having no sense of humor when it comes to totalitarianism.

Comments

Leave a Reply

By submitting a comment here you give me permission to use your words in any way I like, including editing them for clarity, brevity, or content, as well as rearranging the words or the letters within them to change their very meaning. Those who engage in anonymous ad hominem attacks are the car-keyers of the internet, and will not be tolerated. If you engage in such attacks, I may edit the post to show your name or to make it appear that you are attacking yourself. Or both. I don't have to let you comment here. Don't do so for blatant marketing purposes; do so only to add to the discussion. Once you click "submit comment" you have given up all interest in your words to me, and have no further interest in your words. You agree never to sue, grieve, or complain to anyone about the use that I make of the letters you have typed. If you even threaten to do so, you agree that you will be held up to eternal public ridicule.

« Back Again     The Park Sex Sting »