Posted on
April 8, 2008 in
Pat Lykos, clearly the less-qualified candidate for Harris County District Attorney, has beaten Kelly Siegler, the champion of the Office’s old guard, in the Republican primary. And so the Holmes-Rosenthal era ends: not with a bang but with a whimper.
We defense lawyers have reached no consensus on whether this will improve our lives or our clients. But Harris County’s Assistant District Attorneys feel that this bodes ill for their futures, which seemed secure as recently as 15 weeks ago. So there will be heavy drinking among the prosecutors tonight, and hangovers in the morning. The mood, I’m sure, is somber. But do not despair: the Bradford campaign (bloghouston.net is the first hit when you search Google for “Clarence Bradford district attorney”; doesn’t Bradford know about the web?) will be looking for volunteers.
Failing that, you’ll all be welcomed as members of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers’ Association.
Lykos Wins, in Case You Were Wondering : Defending People…
Lykos Wins, in Case You Were Wondering (Defending People)…
Congratulations Mark…Your remarks have been an inspiration to the anti-Siegler forces…thanks again and we will look forward to reading your blog.
I don’t know Mark, perhaps that last line was insult to injury?
Ron, do you think so?
Even if all ADAs burned to practice civil law (they don’t), the reality is that we’re in a recession; only a few of the Office’s superstars, if they left the Office, would find work with firms. Anyone who leaves the office is probably going to wind up trying to run a criminal defense practice, trying to pay for office space and insurance while scrabbling for a rapidly-diminishing pool of felony court appointments. They’re going to need HCCLA.
Zero, you’re probably a bitter Siegler fan. You can’t possibly think that I had any effect on the drubbing that Kelly took in the runoff.
Mark, I like your Blog. Im glad Siegler got bounced out…Sorry that you can’t take a compliment…I actually enjoy your blog and was sincere in my praise of your opinions. Regardless of your response I will continue reading your blog.
Zero, no kidding? Thank you, then.
Both Lykos and Bradford are marginally better than Rosenthal was.
Neither are very good.
Too bad Lietner didn’t run as a Democrat. He might have beat Bradford, and gone on to win against Lykos.
How in hell did it turn out that Bradford had no challengers, in the Democratic primary, from the criminal defense bar???
You refer to a drubbing. What were the numbers? I can’t find them in the Chronicle. (They’re probably there, but being a liberal, I’m too lazy to do something myself if I can find someone else to do it for me.)
WE are SO thrilled about today’s turnout.
Never mind, found them. So about 2000 votes; that’s a clear victory given the turnout.
Sigh. The next four years (and hopefully no more than that) will be rough at the HCDA’s office.
Mark
I get the sense that for a lot of ADA’s a sizable portion of their sense of being lies in their identification as ADA’s. The whole thought of being a criminal defense lawyer is probably offensive to them.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
Michael, I’m sure the next four years will seem rough, but ADAs, compared to virtually everyone else in the world, have it easy.
Ron, I have a hunch that they’ll get over it. Unfortunately for them, this comes at the same time that the flow of court-appointed felony cases is likely to be reduced by the creation of a PD’s office.
I think the culture shock of being on the other side may peel the blinders away from some ADAs. When they start writing intakes from the defense side of the case, learning what defendants and their families have to do to meet criminal charges, it may make them rethink some of their past practices at the DA’s office.
Not so Ron. Some crimes are offensive. Other lawyers doing their jobs well is not. If there is a PD, wouldn’t be surprised to see a few over there given that many have invested years with the county and still have to think about retirement, health care and their dependents. Given, of course that the PD is funded properly. Otherwise it won’t work.
Well it looks like Ms.Siegler failed to carry that all important “screwball and nutcase” demographic. I was amazed she even made it to the run off after that. (Personally I had already decided to vote for Bradford if she won, and I don’t even go to Lakewood.)
In any case I don’t think she would have done well in the general election, given her ties to Rosenthall and having gone out of her way to offend the largest church congregation on the North American continent.
The Ten Thousand? Have you read Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire? Excellent book.
Have I read Gates of Fire?
Ah you have!
I read it when I was in Qatar. A full bird, (who had previously chewed me up one side and down the other for something that was not my fault) recomended it to me by way of a sort of apology.
If and when this PD’s office comes on line, how will it be staffed? Would PD be an elected position like DA? THAT would be an interesting thing to see in Harris County! Could a PD run for election on the “tough on crime” platform?
being as I am [generally] from the dc area, where [it has been said] people put campaign bumper stickers up on the day after an election, I have to wonder. what is the likelihood that pat lykos would, if elected, work to get rid of [unofficially I’m sure] those ADAs who may have commented a bit too negatively about her during the campaign?
Brendan, the PD would be appointed by the county commissioners; she would then hire her staff.
Colin, by all accounts 100%
I’m a little late in posting this, but I didn’t take Mark’s last sentence in this post to be insulting, at all. I actually found it to be kind.
In addition, I think it should be noted that Mark was extremely kind and sympathetic to the ADAs that he talked to today.
And it was very appreciated.