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108th District Court Attorneys make their cases for judgeship By Greg Rohloff Three Amarillo attorneys in a forum sponsored by the Panhandle Family Law Association made their arguments to succeed retiring 108th District Judge Abe Lopez, who has served in that position for 25 years.
The three are running as Republicans in the March 4 primary, and without any Democratic or third-party opposition, the four-year term will be filled on that date, barring a run-off. True to the Republican's 11th Commandment against speaking ill of other Republicans, the three — Tad Fowler, Walt Weaver and Doug Woodburn — were complimentary toward each other, and all spoke of their desire to move into a new phase in their legal careers as a way of serving the community. Downplayed were the family ties. Fowler is the husband of former Potter County Attorney Sonya Letson, and Woodburn's spouse is Potter County District Clerk Caroline Woodburn.
Fowler, raised in Amarillo and a graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Texas School of Law, said he would not make the claim of being most qualified because of his 25-year law practice. "We all have our strengths and none of us has weaknesses, right?" His voice was quiet and his tone self-deprecating as he opened the forum in which the candidates spoke of their legal experience and how it relates to the judgeship. They also fielded questions from other attorneys at the luncheon about how they would manage the court. Fowler spoke of his reputation for honesty and for being prepared when he entered the courtroom as a litigator, and of the reputation of the Lopez court for excellence. "I want to preserve that."
Weaver, on the other hand, sprang into a presentation fitting the 15 years he served as chief felony prosecutor for the 108th as an assistant district attorney for Potter County. And, like a prosecutor, he rolled research into his presentation, noting that half of all Potter County criminal cases go through the 108th, while fewer than 5 percent of the cases before Judge Lopez were family law. Weaver said he prepared 170 appellate cases as a prosecutor. If he were judge, Weaver said, he would be careful to allow attorneys to present their cases without interference. He spoke of the frustration that comes from a court case's appearing to be decided on the reputation of an attorney or because of who the client is. "You don't want a judge interfering with your case," he said, emphasizing his desire for impartiality. Woodburn recounted his 32 years of law practice in Amarillo, starting with eight years as a criminal defense lawyer and his more recent focus on family law over the past 12 years, which included a term as president of the Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists. "I want to make a difference in people's lives," Woodburn said of his desire to move into the judiciary. He said he has examined the dockets for the 108th and is prepared to work to move those cases through the judicial system. The three candidates were asked if they would seek more family law cases, which in Potter County primarily are the domain of the 320th District Court. Fowler said he would be willing to take some of those cases if other judges so desired to change the flow of cases, while Weaver said such a change was unlikely, given the court's load of criminal cases. Woodburn expressed the greatest degree of eagerness for trying family law cases, such as child custody and child protective services cases and divorces. The audience raised issues about the management of the court docket and how the candidates perceived their most important quality. Weaver, in noting that the 108th also handles cases from other neighboring counties, said he would reserve Thursdays for pleadings so that attorneys would have adequate time to prepare for trial if their cases moved up as cases ending with plea agreements moved off the docket. Fowler, less definitive, said he wanted to avoid complicating the flow of cases and would seek guidance on setting docket rules in the interest of ensuring that justice was foremost in the court. Woodburn said he would try to set specific times for plea dates and trial times because prosecutors have an inherent advantage in knowing which cases would end with a plea agreement and which cases would go to trial, while a defense attorney whose case was further down the docket could be unfairly disadvantaged if cases further up the docket ended in pleas, bringing an earlier trial date than expected. As for most important qualities, Woodburn said his willingness to listen to the evidence and the witnesses, and a knowledge of the law at issue were his strengths. Fowler said his decisions would closely follow the facts of a case and added that he would be patient enough to allow attorneys to present their cases without interference. Weaver said his knowledge of the court and an understanding that a judge cannot get caught up in the excitement of a case were his prime strengths. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: January 24, 2008
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