Dallas County Democrats
Heath Harris
Biography

This site is an ARCHIVE of the website used for the Dallas County Democratic Party from 2000 to May of 2002, and which was built by the then Chair Bill Howell. Though some information here will be relevant through the 2002 elections, other pages here are of interest for history or research. For the latest updated news about the Dallas County Democratic Party, see their own website at www.dallasdemocrats.org.

Heath Harris is a candidate for 194th Judicial District Court Judge in 2002.

As you may know, Judge Harold Entz is retiring and this is a wonderful opportunity for our party to obtain this bench. I firmly believe that my experience as a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney provides me with the insight and neutrality to be an extremely fair, impartial, yet stern Democratic Judge.

I was raised in Lubbock, Texas. I graduated from Lubbock Estacado High School. I attended Texas Tech University. I graduated in the Fall of 1989 with a B.B.A., with an emphasize in Marketing. After graduation, I joined the University staff as an Admission Counselor in the Office of New Student Relations. As a Minority Counselor, I traveled throughout the State of Texas recruiting high school and community college students. After two years of recruitment for the Red Raiders, I decided to fulfill my dream of becoming an attorney.

I enrolled in Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in the Fall of 1992. I volunteered with the Harris County Criminal District Attorney's Office during the summer of my first year. I was blessed to obtain a criminal internship which allowed me to work with felony prosecutors during my third year in law school. I was able to sit second chair during jury trials and actively participate in criminal prosecutions. I also had an opportunity to observe from court to court analyzing and critiquing judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. I graduated from law school in May 1995. In August of 1996, I accepted an offer from John Vance to become an assistant district attorney in Dallas County rather than accepting an offer to prosecute in Tarrant County.

As a prosecutor, I visited crime scene, consoled victims and their families, and I zealously prosecuted hundreds of felony and misdemeanor cases. I handled home invasion cases, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon, intoxication manslaughter, intoxication assault, murder, sexual assault of a child, delivery of controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, official oppression, and theft by a public servant. These are just a few of the types of cases I prosecuted in jury trials. I also served as a drug court prosecutor where I worked on cases with narcotic officers, and DEA agents. I served in the Public Integrity Division where I accepted citizen's complaint's on public servants and presented cases to the grand jury. I assisted in the investigation and prosecution of public official and police officers. I worked with DPD's.

Currently, I operate my own law practice. The majority of practice is criminal defense. In fact, over the past five years I tried over a hundred jury cases and handled cases either as a prosecutor or defense attorney in every felony and misdemeanor court in Frank Crowley.

As a criminal defense attorney, I have fought hard and long hours to insure that my clients were afforded their constitutional rights. I have been retained or appointed on over a hundred cases ranging from capital murder to arson. In a little over a year, I have already tried 20 cases to Dallas County juries.

I am a member of the State Bar of Texas, College of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas County and Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Associations, Dallas Bar Association, J.L.Turner Legal Association, Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and I am admitted to practice before the United States District Court, Northern District of Texas. I work closely with prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers, court coordinators, and court clerks to efficiently disposes of cases. I understand that all court personnel have a significant role in running an efficient docket and insuring that a defendant is afforded their constitutional rights.

I am happily married to a loving and supportive wife named Yvette. I am the proud father of two children Heather Lynn and Heath Glen II. My family kindles my fire and desire to make Dallas County a better place to live.

With your support, I will be the next Judge of the 194th J.D.C.

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