A county-wide backlog of cases and a new courtroom await Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision on the first 475thDistrict Court judge in Smith County — an appointment expected by the end of the year.
So far, Tyler attorney Trevor Mark Rose is the only applicant seeking the appointment to Smith County’s fifth district court.
Rose, 40, earned his law degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and works as a prosecutor in the Smith County District Attorney’s office. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for the County Court at Law #3 bench earlier this month.
Rose garnered 2,116 votes or 9% of the total votes in a race against two other candidates: Sara Maynard, who received 38%, and Clay White, who won the nomination with 52% of the total vote.
The Tyler Loop obtained a copy of Rose’s application for the 475th District Court bench under the Texas Public Information Act. He filed the application in June.
In his application, Rose noted he always has admired former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia.
“Justice Scalia has always been one of my favorite jurists and a man I admire for his strict adherence to the original text of the Constitution, despite the popular opinion of the day,” Rose wrote. “He was never afraid to let people know how he felt about any given topic and his opinions were always the best part of reading Supreme Court decisions.”
Rose also emphasized that consistency in the law is important to liberty and prosperity.
“Courts should seek to provide consistent decisions based on settled law. However, judges take an oath to the Constitution,” he wrote. “Generally, it is better to follow the law despite precedent rather than to follow precedent in spite of the law.”
The 475th District Court is expected in operation at the beginning of 2023 with the courtroom being located in the Smith County Annex.
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