Sean Teare has been elected as the next District Attorney in Harris County, a position he will officially take in January. A Democrat, he will be taking this role as 10 new Republican judges also take office. When it comes to criminal prosecution, he will have the final say in felony cases, misdemeanor cases and juvenile courts. There will be over 350 prosecutors under him and the office has a budget of around $116 million.
The intake division at the district attorney’s office is responsible for deciding whether to accept or reject criminal charges after police have made an arrest. A former prosecutor, Teare is familiar with these cases and will now decide which ones should move forward. Not all arrests even result in trials, let alone convictions, and the District Attorney plays a large role in that process. This can define how the criminal justice system operates in Harris County for years to come.
To that end, Sean Teare has said that he regrets some of the drug cases he won in the past, noting that he has a better understanding of mental health and drug crimes today. He said that he did not spend nearly as much time thinking about cases that he lost as a trial lawyer. What was important to him was to remember cases he won that he now feels he should not have won. He wants to change the culture and management of the DA’s office, using this past experience to do so.
Part of that experience, he said, came from his mother’s own addiction issues when he was a child. He saw how destructive a heroin addiction could be, and that was part of the reason he started taking more drug cases while beginning his own career. He is now 45 years old, though, and has a family of his own. He says that he is now less focused on the punitive approach he took when he was younger, citing maturity as one of the main reasons why.
New judges and their outlook
The 10 new Republican judges, on the other hand, received praise from State Senator Paul Bettencourt. He claims that they will “rule by the Constitution and law.” He noted that they were “tremendous judiciary talent” and that their goal would be bringing criminals to justice and making the streets safe. The judges who won include the following:
- 61st District Judge: Lee Kathryn Shuchart
- 80th District Judge: Sonya Laston
- 165th District Judge: Bruce Bain
- 177th District Judge: Emily Munoz Detoto
- 215th District Judge: Nathan Milliron
- 338th District Judge: Michele Oncken
- 486th District Judge: Aaron Burdette
- 488th District Judge: Matthew Peneguy
It was not just the state senator who focused on the rule of law, but also Harris County Republican Party chair Cindy Siegel. She noted that Texas residents were worried about crime. She specifically pointed out that some people felt fear for their families, just wanting to live in a safe and secure environment. She believes that these judges can help to provide that environment, stating that safety should be a priority for everyone, all across Harris County.
Naturally, the individual judges in each county can have a big impact on each case that the DA’s office decides to advance. Attorney Ganz takes many cases in Harris County, but he also takes cases throughout the state and in numerous other counties. With this wide network, he understands the landscape and potential changes to the system, and he can determine how these changes could impact a case moving forward.
Key Changes To Criminal Defense In Harris County
The new focus that DA Sean Teare will have is outlined by the main political issues he focused on when running for office, including:
- Drug crimes and second chances
- Bail reform
- Addressing the criminal court backlog
- Gun violence
- Domestic violence
- The decriminalization of abortion
The specific judges may not always agree with the new DA due to their personal philosophies. For instance, although the DA’s office may want to focus on second chances for drug crimes, a specific judge could take a more strict approach, seeking to end drug crimes entirely by severely punishing those who are convicted. This is part of the reason why it’s so important to have a solid strategy implemented by an experienced and proven criminal defense attorney, especially as things are changing — in many ways — across Harris County.
Call Now For A Consultation
Attorney Charles Ganz resides in Harris County and has worked here for years. With this criminal defense experience comes an extensive understanding of the network and the system. As this system changes and new judges take power – along with a new DA – attorney Ganz can review your case and determine how it may be affected by these political changes moving forward.