The Republican Women of Kerr County welcomed Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Judge Lori Massey Brissette to their April General Meeting to offer insight around current concerns with how the Texas judicial system is structured and operates.
Appointed by Governor Greg Abbott last July, Brissette now serves on a bench with a jurisdiction covering thirty-two counties in Texas, including Kerr County. With more than three decades of experience in law, Brissette brought her expertise to the judicial branch when she served two terms as District Judge in Bexar County before being appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeals.
“In the current events today, the judiciary is being called to question. I feel like I have to talk about it, that’s what protecting the judiciary is about. I’m going to be talking about the judiciary as an institution, not any particular judge or any particular ruling.” said Brissette.
Brissette urges citizens to not distrust the judiciary when disagreeing with a decision, rather trust the appointed officials and their sworn commitment to fair, unbiased rulings.
“ I absolutely understand, that when I’m rendering a decision, I’m going to make half the people mad. If I’m not willing to make that decision, I shouldn’t be on the bench. If I’m not willing to do something that goes against my personal beliefs, if the law tells me to do so, I shouldn’t be on the bench,” said Brissette.
When appointed to a judicial position, judges must take an oath swearing to faithfully execute the duties of the office as well as upholding and preserving the law. In current, polarizing and political climates in the United States, Brissette calls for the depoliticization of the judiciary.
“When I worked as a briefing attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, there were very hotly contested political issues. When possible, the courts would try to not rule to avoid being in the middle of those issues. If they needed to rule, they’d rule, but they preferred ‘judicial restraint.’ The reason judicial restraint is so important is because if the courts are in the middle of every hotly contested issue, they’re going to be seen as political,” said Brissette.
Brissette detailed the current ideology around the judicial system versus how judges actually operate.
“That’s what’s happening to the judicial system right now, people are seeing it as a political arm. People assume judges must act because they were appointed by a Republican president. Or that they must act because they contributed to a democratic organization,” said Brissette.
Brissette encouraged citizens to uphold the functions of the judicial system despite a few rogue judges.
“People will think, because a judge was elected as a Republican or Democrat, it biases their decisions. It might be what you think immediately, but that can’t be true. It might be true in some cases, but that’s not how the judiciary should act.
“There are bad apples in the Texas judiciary, and we absolutely need more accountability to take care of those people, but you cannot ascribe what they’re doing to the judiciary as a whole,” said Brissette.
Brissette called for an increase in the public’s confidence in their judicial systems by becoming more aware and involved, either through local elections or serving as a juror.
“Part of building confidence in the judiciary is making sure you know us. If the public understands who we are they trust that we are ruling appropriately,” said Brissette.
In closing, Brissette left attendees with a final message for those concerned with the validity of Texas’ current judiciary.
“When you hear about a ruling that goes against your morals or values, or political beliefs – stop and think. Do you understand what was in front of the judge? Do you understand the evidence and law that they had to consider? Even if you don’t, or if you don’t like it, let the system play out,” said Brissette.