Lawyer lodges new criminal complaint against Harris County judge; conservative bloggers irate
Embattled family court Judge Denise Pratt (R) is the subject of another criminal complaint by Webster family lawyer Greg Enos, who is alleging that the freshman judge broke the law when she signed orders saying she had given prior notice to lawyers before dismissing hundreds of cases last month.
Judges are required under rules of civil procedure to schedule hearings and warn parties involved in pending litigation of their intent to dismiss cases, but numerous lawyers, including Enos, have told the Houston Chronicle they only learned their cases had been dismissed after the fact. Pratt, through her lawyer, has acknowledged that at least some notices were not sent out, but has blamed the problem on a new computer system at the Harris County District Clerk's office.
A spokesman for the District Clerk's office has said that system, known as eFileTexas.gov system, has nothing to do with the mailing of notices of upcoming dismissal hearings.
Dismissal orders Pratt signed for various cases attached to Enos' new criminal complaint and obtained from the District Clerk's office say that "all parties were given notice of the setting date and that failure to appear would be grounds for dismissal."
More at http://www.chron.com/news/politics/houston/article/Lawyer-lodges-new-criminal-complaint-against-judge-5149608.php?cmpid=hpbn .
Related article:
Conservative bloggers call on Pratt to resign, but party not budging
Some conservative bloggers are calling for embattled family court Judge Denise Pratt to resign and withdraw her name from the March GOP primary ballot, especially after recent revelations that she dismissed hundreds of cases without prior notice, immediately suspending temporary orders dictating property ownership and child support and custody arrangements she had previously made to protect children and families.
In a Tuesday post on the Big Jolly Politics blog, lawyer and local Republican politico Ed Hubbard said the actions and allegations against Pratt that have been revealed in recent months form an “incredible body of evidence of an unprecedented level of apparent incompetence and disrespect for public office.”
“In my opinion, Denise Pratt, Presiding Judge of the 311th District Court of Harris County, which only hears family-law disputes, should resign immediately and withdraw from the race for re-election, for the good of the families and children whose futures are placed in her trust, and for the good of our Republican ticket in the fall election,” Hubbard wrote in a post bluntly titled, “Judge Denise Pratt, Please Resign; Fellow Republicans, Please Defeat Judge Pratt if She Does Not Resign.”
He encouraged readers to consider one of the four other Republican candidates in the race for the 311th District Court.
More at http://blog.chron.com/houstonpolitics/2014/01/conservative-bloggers-call-on-pratt-to-resign-but-party-not-budging/ .
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