Judicial Committee Meeting Transcript – 04/19/2018 Title: ATXN 24/7 Recording Channel: 6 - ATXN Recorded On: 4/19/2018 6:00:00 AM Original Air Date: 4/19/2018 Transcript Generated by SnapStream ================================== [1:03:59 PM] >> Let's go ahead and convene this meeting of the judicial committee. I'm Jim Flannigan, chair of the committee, and we can jump right into our agenda. It's 1:03 P.M., 1:10 P.M. We are in the boards and commissions room. First item is approval of the draft minutes from the judicial committee meeting from February 8. Do I have a motion to approve those minutes? Council member pool, do I have a second? Council member Garza. All in favor raise your hand. Approved unanimously. Let's move into citizens communication. Mr. Pena, I think you're signed up for this today? >> Yes, I am. >> Thank you. You have three minutes. >> Good afternoon committee members. Gus Pena. I just have a couple issues to -- rather, stuff to bring forth to you all. I am a former bailiff with the municipal court, former bailiff at criminal district courts and I ran for justice of the peace. This stuff that the county talked about, it correlates with what is on the agenda, but it's having to do with the private defender service, and pretrial services, and case disposition of deposition, et cetera, and so it correlates with what we're doing in the judicial committee, because of the judges, and judge Coffey knows me and the presiding judge as well knows me very well. And I just want to thank them for their friendliness because sometimes when I was a bailiff some of the judges were very rude and wouldn't talk to you each though we served at their pleasure. Good things are happening in municipal court and it's mind-boggling because I heard they're wanting to build another court, and, you know, I hear from the criminal district court judges about that, Brenda Kennedy, et cetera, and Julie kasurik is one of my good friends. I knew her when she was a prosecutor. I wanted to say this, we do a lot of problems out there [1:05:59 PM] in the community and I go out there -- well, incognito and we're trying to clean it up for the good people that are homeless, and I just want to say that -- thanks to the judges that when they see the -- the inmates and when they see the people coming into court, it's -- it's turned out to be a friendly interaction, and that's what I want to see, because if you have a traffic ticket, you have this, that, the other, it's mind-boggling. It's kind of scary for them. But anyway, I want to thank the presiding judge and judge Coffey, et cetera, and that's all I have to say, just review this, what they spoke about, and discussed at county. This correlates with what we're going to talk about. Thank you for allowing me to speak. >> Flannigan: Thank you, Mr. Pena. If there's no objection I think we'll move to executive session on item no. 5. So the committee will now go into closed session to take up one item pursuant to section 551.074 of the Texas government code. We'll discuss the following personnel item, item 5, discuss issues related to municipal court judicial appointments. With no objection we will now go into executive session. [Executive session] [2:54:26 PM] Testest . . . . . [2:59:46 PM] >> Okay. We are out of closed session. In closed session, we discussed personnel matters related to item number 5. Continuing on item number 5. Without objection, I will make a motion. So I move that the judicial committee recommend the following judges to the city council for approval. Brian Guerrera, Christine -- >> Guerra. >> Guerra. Christine Harris Schultz, mark Pryor, owe la sing elig, and Pamela. Do I have any discussion? Any further discussion, all in favor, raise your hand. That decision is unanimous. Thank you, colleagues, thank you to the panel and to hr staff and all of the folks that helped move this process forward. And I definitely want to thank all of the judges and candidateses that participated in this process. It was a very difficult decision and really everyone who applied and participated was really a stellar example of what our community can pull together and I think it shows a lot of really promise and value for the future of justice. In the city of Austin. That just leaves item number 4. Any other additional items we want to discuss at future meetings? No? All right, hearing none, I think we are adjourned.