Newly elected Harris County Judge ready for trial
Don Smyth, recently elected judge for the County Criminal Court at Law #13, was appointed last week to finish the remaining term for the bench after Mark Atkinson retired earlier this year. His first day was Friday, November 12th. Judge Smyth is not wasting any time. He is presiding over his first trial the first week on the job. Today, I attended his court and saw a jury panel lining up in the hallway. I imagine that since he has been a prosecutor for the last thirty five years he was able to "hit the ground running" when it came to presiding over a jury trial.
On another note, I want to applaud the newly elected judge of County Criminal Court at Law #4, John Clinton, for taking the time last week to shadow Judge Anderson, the presiding judge of the court. I imagine it may take Judge Clinton a bit longer before he presides over his first trial.