Bronson Tucker is challenging Judge Edna Staudt for the office of Justice of the Peace in Precinct 2.
Bronson Tucker is the Director of Curriculum and Staff Attorney for the Texas Justice Court Training Center. Although Justices of the Peace are not required to be attorneys, Tucker is a member of the bar and believes his experience and background with the laws and procedures of justice courts have given him requisite and expert qualifications for the bench. “I’ve spent the past 15 years training thousands of judges, and rewriting the rules to make the courtroom more amenable to people who do not have lawyers. When people have questions about justice court or ethics and judicial conduct, I am the person they reach out to. Jobs like this typically have a learning curve, but I will be ready for the bench on Day 1.”
He adds that he managed a state grant to reduce DWI fatalities and, as an attorney/JP, he would be eligible to sign warrants for blood draws (related to DWI or similar offenses), which takes pressure off County and District judges and saves time for law enforcement.
Although he has been successful for some time at the Training Center, he decided to run for office for several reasons. “I have been working on task forces across the state; improving our programs against truancy and domestic violence, but I want to put my expertise to work in my local community. I want to build my own fantastic community for this and future generations so Precinct 2, and my daughters, will have everything necessary to stay safe and strong.”
Tucker says he also had concerns over the diminishing number of criminal cases. “My research showed criminal filings dropped since 2012, despite filings across the county going up in the same period. I spoke to law enforcement and prosecutors and they share my concern. We need to take a hard look and make sure the law is being followed in all of these cases.”
He is prepared to manage the full-time responsibilities of JP2 and will make it a priority to ensure that every person in the court has the law equally applied to them. “Judges are the ‘boots on the ground’, and while I have the knowledge and preparation to work within the law at all times, I believe it is appropriate and necessary for judges to work to improve the system. Who better to work for change than those applying the law daily. It is not a judge’s job to legislate, but I am ready to address the needs of the court changes with those who do.”
Tucker believes any process works better when leaders trust their employees to get the job done because managers have ensured each knows the details and value of their role. “I believe in delegating without micromanaging and maintain an open door policy so everyone is comfortable coming to me to discuss problems and issues.”
Tucker says he is not a fan of because we’ve always done it that way and deals with all levels—clerks to judges—to guide them through new ideas and concepts to create cooperative and efficient offices. “I am happy to embrace new technology and automation. It is not only better business but it makes us as transparent as possible.”
He also has plans for ‑change. “Right now the court docket is four days a week; I plan to open for that fifth day to make sure we are serving the public as much as possible.”
Visit BronsonForJudge.com for more info. Primary elections end March 6. Visit Wilco.org/elections for polling places and times.
