Kuff's World

September 04, 2008

Interview with David Mincberg

The race for Harris County Judge has lived up to its billing as the highest-profile local campaign this year. David Mincberg has been airing ads on TV for a couple of weeks now, while appointed incumbent Ed Emmett has scored with a hurricane preparedness billboard. The good news is that for the most part, the issues are still at the forefront of this campaign, as I'd hoped they would be. And it's a real pleasure to discuss issues with Mincberg, who has an informed and thoughtful response for each question I asked him in this recent interview, as always in MP3 format. One point to note here is that this interview was conducted two weeks ago, before the formation of Hurricane Gustav; my question about hurricane preparedness was referring to the events leading up to Tropical Storm Eduoard.

PREVIOUSLY:

Vince Ryan, Harris County Attorney
Chris Bell, SD17
Loren Jackson, Harris County District Clerk
Brad Bradford, Harris County District Attorney
Diane Trautman, Harris County Tax Assessor
Michael Skelly, CD07
Diana Maldonado, HD52
Eric Roberson, CD32
State Rep. Juan Garcia, HD32
Ernie Casbeer, HD59
Joe Moody, HD78
Chris Turner, HD96
Robert Miklos, HD101
State Rep. Dan Barrett, HD97
Wendy Davis, SD10

Posted by Charles Kuffner at 06:06 AM in Podcasts | Comments (0)

September 03, 2008

Candidate Q&A: Mike Miller

Note: This entry is part of a series of written Q&As with judicial candidates who will be on the ballot in Harris County. I am also doing recorded interviews with non-judicial candidates.

1. Who are you, and what are you running for?

My name is Mike Miller and I am the Democratic candidate for the 11th Civil District Court in Harris County.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

Civil district courts hear most civil cases except for those involving probate and family law. The general jurisdiction of the civil district courts includes claims involving contracts, torts, property, consumer rights, employment, foreclosures and other collection matters, injunctions, some maritime, civil rights, and federal statutory matters for which there is concurrent jurisdiction with the federal courts, partnership dissolutions, name changes, appeals from workers' compensation administrative hearings, insurance disputes, property tax suits, declaratory judgments, and numerous others.

3. Why are you running for this particular bench?

I am 54 and have been a Texas trial lawyer for 28 years. It is time for me to move from the counsel table to the bench, and I have the experience and temperament to do it. As for this particular bench, I have nothing but positive things to say about the competency and general fairness of my 20 year Republican incumbent opponent, Mark Davidson, except that any lawyer who has spent much time in his court will tell you he has a tendency to be overly impatient with and abusive to lawyers who come before him. Non-lawyers may say: "Good for him, lawyers deserve it," but in my opinion verbal abuse is never appropriate. He also has the reputation of refusing to grant a continuance under nearly any circumstance. As an experienced trial lawyer I know that continuances should sometimes be granted in the interest of justice, and/or to accomodate special circumstances of the parties and their lawyers.

4. What are your qualifications for this job?

I have tried more than 150 jury trials to verdicts in nearly 28 years of practicing law in Texas. I have been board certified in personal injury trial law since 1994, and I am AV rated by my peers for competency and ethics. I have worked as both a plaintiff's and defense lawyer in Harris County for both small and large firms. I have handled hundreds of hearings and depositions during my 20 years practicing in Harris County. I graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and Southwestern University. For more detailed information go to my website at www.miller4judge.com.

5. Why is this race important?

We currently have, and have had for way too long, nothing but Republican judges in Harris County. Any experienced trial lawyer will tell you the judge can make a big difference in the outcome of a jury trial. The trial judge must interpret the rules of civil procedure, rules of evidence, statutes and case law. She/he also has discretion in how to conduct various aspects of a jury trial. It is in that interpretation of the applicable law and the exercise of that discretion that a judge's personal sense regarding what is fair has an impact on the outcome of a given case. It is time to let some Democratic judges do that interpretation and exercise that discretion to restore balance to our local civil justice system.

6. Why should people vote for you in November?

In addition to what I have said above, I support the 2008 Texas Democratic platform and oppose the 2008 Texas Republican platform. Most of that should have little or nothing to do with being a civil district judge, but to the extent my personal political and philosophical opinions will unwittingly have an impact on how I interpret the law and exercise discretion as a judge, there you have it.

PREVIOUSLY:

Dion Ramos, 55th Civil Judicial District Court.
Shawna Reagin, 176th District Criminal Court.
Al Bennett, 61st Civil Judicial District Court.
Judge Jim Jordan, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Posted by Charles Kuffner at 05:31 AM in Election 2008 | Comments (0)

September 02, 2008

Interview with Michael Skelly

One of the more exciting campaigns this cycle has been that of Michael Skelly in CD07, as his combination of fundraising prowess and a wind energy background have put that race on the national radar. Among other things, that race and the get-out-the-vote efforts that Skelly will inspire and provide for are seen as key to the Democratic effort to win Harris County this year. The local GOP sees this as a close race, while CD07 incumbent John Culberson has called his re-election effort a "firewall" for the countywide Republicans. Skelly has been on the air with several ads since mid-July, and I think it's safe to say Culberson knows who he is by now.

My interview with Michael Skelly is here, as always in MP3 format. Let me know what you think.

PREVIOUSLY:

Vince Ryan, Harris County Attorney
Chris Bell, SD17
Loren Jackson, Harris County District Clerk
Brad Bradford, Harris County District Attorney
Diane Trautman, Harris County Tax Assessor
Diana Maldonado, HD52
Eric Roberson, CD32
State Rep. Juan Garcia, HD32
Ernie Casbeer, HD59
Joe Moody, HD78
Chris Turner, HD96
Robert Miklos, HD101
State Rep. Dan Barrett, HD97
Wendy Davis, SD10

Posted by Charles Kuffner at 05:44 AM in Podcasts | Comments (0)