Skip to main content

Modern Day Hero: Judge Julia Hayes

In the hustle and bustle of life often great deeds go unmentioned, particularly at the courthouse. It is uplifting and inspiring to hear and share stories of heroic deeds that all too often go unnoticed and deserve mention. Two Fridays ago on March 2, 2012 I popped into Dallas County Criminal Court no.2 to say Hi to the judge & report on the status of an upcoming trial when I witnessed her in the middle of busting a plea. A skinny 17 year old African American high school kid in his orange jail jumpersuit handcuffed behind his back was addressing the judge from behind the counsel table. With her quick wit, she quickly sized up the kid and asked him when he was going to graduate. He meekly stated “in the summer.” She asked him what his criminal trespass case was. He replied that he got caught playing basketball after allowed hours and was warned before not to play past dark (per the apt rules). She asked why he had a theft charge. He explained that he took the school drum home (the one assigned to him in band) to practice that night and was going to bring it back the next day and never had a chance to explain that to anyone at the school. She asked him who lived at home with him (a single mom) and wanted to know what level of supervision there was (practically none). His court appointed lawyer had already had him sign the plea papers for credit for time served (he had been in jail for 2 weeks with no money to bond out) which would have been a quick fix but a lifetime of job rejection due to a theft conviction (crime of moral turpitude) on his permanent record. She busted the plea and gave him deferred probations as the kid had no record and told him if he straightened up he would have both cases dismissed and a chance at having a fair shot at life. Serious emotion overwhelmed me as I witnessed her kindness and compassion and quick intelligence render justice to a situation that otherwise would have ruined the young kid’s life forever. Young people make mistakes. Their frontal lobes are not fully developed until they are 21. Young kids make stupid decisions, that’s why Tarrant County has a dismissal DPP program for kids under 21 that commit similar offenses. Although it appeared no one in the school, or even his mom cared, Julia stepped in and gave the kid a chance. That kid will probably spend the rest of his life thinking about how she addressed him, cared and placed confidence and hope in him. Judge Julia Hayes is a modern day hero. Dallas County is blessed to have such a smart, great judge who truly makes the world a better place.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Can A DWI Affect My Eligibility For Global Entry?

In general, all United States citizens and lawful permanent residents possess eligibility to apply for Global Entry. This is a program through Customs and Border Protection that allows for expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. That said, Customs my deny eligibility for a variety of reasons such as providing false information on the application and a finding of customs violation for *any* country (not just US Customs violations). However, there are 3 important reasons related to criminal defense that everyone should know. First, Customs may deny eligibility if you have been denied for the purchase of a firearm. This restriction is important because firearm restrictions may, on occasion, be a condition of a criminal charge, even if the charge is dismissed. Further, a denial of a firearm purchase may show Customs that you are not a “low-risk” traveler based on the reason for denial. Second, Customs may deny eligibility if you are the subject of an *ongoing investiga...

Texas Not Following Accrediting Agency Standards in Blood Testing

Mimi Coffey in a Gas Chromatography Lab 2023  Everyone knows you can’t compare apples to oranges yet this is what many Texas forensic laboratories are doing. ANSI/ANAB standards (who accredit Texas crime labs) are very specific on both quality control and method validation requiring some whole blood samples to be tested to adjust for the matrix effects that blood samples introduce in gas chromatography testing. Yet, most north Texas labs still ignore these “shall” (not optional) mandates opting to use aqueous samples (water based). Blood has compounds that interfere in analytical readings that water based calibrators and controls go not have. Does this affect the result? 100%. Absolutely. One study in Austin estimated an increase in alcohol (ethanol) by 20%. This is just one Texas government lab’s findings.  Bottom line- don’t trust the blood result. The State must do better. 

Lying Witnesses: The Shabby State of Criminal Justice in our Country

The American Criminal Justice System: “Houston, We have a Problem.” James Ferguson Mark Fuhrman, convicted of a felony perjury after the O.J. Simpson trial, is now a national Fox legal analyst, an “expert witness” on police matters. Last week, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, ruled “Dr.” James Ferguson, a state toxicologist, convicted of perjury, could NOT be sued or found liable for lying in a murder case where his expert witness testimony was relied upon by the judge for the conviction. Fred Zain, toxicologist at the West Virginia Department of Public Safety, falsified lab results which resulted in as many as 134 wrongful convictions. Once under investigation, he merely picked up and moved to San Antonio, Texas to work as a toxicologist where an investigation found at least 180 cases in which fraud may have led to wrongful convictions. He died in the comforts of his Florida home in 2002. Picking up the pieces in Boston, Massachusetts, over 34,000 lab...