What does the Court of Appeals do?

To the Editor,

What in the heck is the Texas Court of Appeals and why does it matter? Good questions. Here are the answers.

First, District Courts like mine are trial courts with a jury and lawyers arguing their cases. At the end of a trial, the jury renders its verdict, and a Judge enters a judgment for one side or the other. If you lose your trial and you are going to prison (God forbid), or you owe a big money judgment, you may want to have that reversed so that you win. You’d do that by filing an appeal to the Court of Appeals. You’d be asking them to reverse the trial court’s judgment. For a do-over.

So, it really matters who sits on that Court. You want someone who is fair and open minded, who believes in a level playing field for everyone, whether you’re rich or poor. And you want someone who cares about public safety, too.

Voters say they don’t know who the Judge candidates are on their election ballot. Now you know at least one Court of Appeals candidate, me. Remember to register to vote and vote in November. It’s important to you and your community.

Judge Mike Engelhart Houston