First off, as with all of my posts on Judge Denise Pratt, let’s stipulate this:
Judge Denise Pratt is incompetent and should resign or be removed from office. And since it is too late for her to remove her name from the Harris County Republican Party Primary ballot, voters should reject her and put her out to pasture.
Sorry to have to keep reminding you of that but every day she sits on the bench is a day that families’ lives are being negatively affected and you need to realize that.
Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the juvenile antics of Judge Denise Pratt of the 311th Family Court in Harris County. Let’s set the stage and context of what I’m going to tell you.
The Harris County Republican Party held an Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday evening at Houston Baptist University. Executive committee meetings are where the Precinct Chairs get to, in theory, conduct the business of the party. I arrived around 6:30 pm, about halfway into the 6-7pm social hour – the meeting started at 7:00 pm.
While I was walking around getting the lay of the land, I noticed several people passing out flyers about Judge Denise Pratt. In addition to handing them out, they were placing them on tables that were spread across the room so that people could pick them up at their leisure and read about Judge Denise Pratt’s problems. Many candidates were also putting their push cards on these tables – it is standard practice at any political gathering during primary season. Upon inquiring about the Pratt flyers, the people passing them out were either attorneys that practiced in her court or “victims” of her incompetent brand of “justice”. One of them told me that he had confronted Judge Denise Pratt after seeing her walking around picking up his flyers – she told him that she was picking them up and putting them where they belonged, in the trash. I thought, nah, he must have been mistaken – most likely that was one of the hired campaign workers that she has paid to go around commenting on websites and passing out her push cards. So I didn’t think much of it. Surely a sitting Family Court Judge wouldn’t stoop to that level. Right?
Wrong.
About halfway through the meeting, I excused myself to find a restroom and get another cup of water. Mind you, most of the people at the meeting, several hundred, were now inside the auditorium and participating or watching the meeting. There were a half-dozen or so people in the “break” area at this time. And lo and behold, guess who one of them was?
I stood there in amazement watching a sitting Family Court Judge gleefully going from table to table picking up flyers that cast her in a negative light and throwing them away. I was talking to a couple of other people at the time and told them and they didn’t believe me – until they turned around and watched. Unbelievable.
Since she doesn’t want you to see them, I decided to scan them and let you see what Judge Denise Pratt was afraid to let HCRP precinct chairs see. There are three documents in total.
A four page copy of Ed Hubbard’s Judge Denise Pratt, Please Resign post. Obviously I could have just linked to Ed’s post but if someone took the time to print it, staple it, and distribute it, I figure I have the time to scan it.
Do you want Democrats to win in November?
If you are a Republican voter, you should click on each of those links and see what Judge Denise Pratt doesn’t want you to know. If you are not a Republican voter, you are probably salivating at the thought of running against her in November.
Folks, let’s have a little straight talk. This woman, er, juvenile, is sitting behind a bench (on the days she shows up for work) and imposing her very warped views of the world on families that are already in crisis. Are you kidding me?
I’m not much of an “Anyone but” kinda guy and will have an endorsement in this race in the next day or so but please – ANYONE BUT THIS MORON!
texaswoman says
There are no coincidences and you were meant to see her play her game. Surely she can be defeated.
Truther1 says
The yellow sheets were against Judge Pratt.
The pink sheets were her sheets – for Judge Pratt. She shows who paid for them, printed them, and she and her supporters put them out.
The white sheets were her sheets – for Judge Pratt. She shows who paid for them, printed them, and she and her supporters put them out.
The blue sheets were endorsements for Judge Pratt. They were printed by another individual.
If you will notice, Judge Pratt had 1, maybe 2 yellow sheets in my hand, and one is even left on the table in the picture.
All the other sheets in her hand, the 2 inches worth of sheets, are white, blue or pink.
If this happened at the end of a 6 or 7 hour meeting, it appears she waited until the end – looks like almost everyone is gone.
So everyone already had the chance to see them.
What’s wrong with a conservative conserving her campaign material?
And what is wrong with Judge Pratt taking a yellow sheet or two?
Does she not have the same right and opportunity to review and look at the materials that everyone else has?
Did you happen to notice that the sheets against Judge Pratt are done in contravention of the rules.
They do not say who put them out, who paid for them, or what group is involved.
Typical of the people opposing Judge Pratt.
Also, there were several witnesses to the conversation the reporter references.
All of whom confirmed that was NOT the conversation.
Interesting that the person who supposedly told the reporter all this went nameless – as usual.
David Jennings says
“Truther1” or should I say “no truth here”?
Another Pratt supporter that can’t face the facts, eh? Here’s the deal – I was there. Apparently you can’t read.
Judge Pratt was picking up every anti-Pratt flyer from every table in the building while the meeting was going on because there were few people in the foyer. Do you have a problem comprehending that?
The meeting didn’t last 6 or 7 hours – I thought you were there? Apparently not. Go figure.
There is everything wrong with Pratt picking up three different handouts and putting them in the trash. Grownups don’t do that. Grownups rely on their record. Uh-oh. Pratt can’t do that, can she?
Typical of the paid supporters going from place to place and blog to blog “supporting” her with a thin veneer that crumbles when looked at.
I don’t know who you think confirmed a conversation but I personally watched Pratt picking up these flyers. Me. Personally.
I find it interesting that a Pratt supporter knows nothing about what happened. Well, not really, that was a joke. Pratt supporters all seem to have delusional personalities.
DJ
Rhymes W. Right says
I saw her picking up and trashing anti-Pratt literature before the meeting began. So did others. She even had to be admonished by Jared Woodfill, our county chair, to stop it.
Leif says
A “Pratt supporter” who, if you will notice, wrote:
Judge Pratt had 1, maybe 2 yellow sheets in *my* hand
Looks like someone might have had second thoughts about a comment in the first person and didn’t quite catch all of those thoughts in the editing process.
Just say NO to Pratt says
@Truther1 / Judge Pratt
Can I please have a ruling on my enforcement that you heard the hearing on March 4, 2013? My attorney has had several status hearings with you. Please do the job you promised the people you would do. Review the case, make a ruling BASED OFF THE LAW and not your feelings. For my children I am begging you, I can not afford to continue to pay the amicus you placed on the case but will not listen to. Please do your job!
Just say NO to Pratt! says
11 months and 8 days after an enforcement hearing, several status requests later, still waiting on Judge Pratt’s ruling.
ANYONE BUT PRATT!
O. Morris says
Where can a voter get a “Anyone But Pratt” yard sign? Please
A Republican Attorney who is Sick and Tired of Pratt's LIes says
Are you kidding me? I also personally witnessed both Judge Pratt and Stuart Mayper (one of Pratt’s paid cheerleaders) walk around the tables about 6:30 and start trying to pick up all of these flyers and handouts. I saw Stuart Mayper talking to Jared Woodfill and Robert Clark, and I heard Jared tell Mayper to leave everyone else’s stuff alone. There was absolutely NO DOUBT as to what they were doing, and I heard Stuart Mayper actually tell Robert Clark that Judge Pratt was the one that instructed him to pick up these materials and throw them away. I also saw Robert Clark ask Judge Pratt why she was picking up the handouts, but I was too far away to hear her reply. She quickly retreated to the apparent safety of her mom and dad at the front door. It was really juvenile behavior on the part of Pratt and her supporters.
On another note, I do not think that it is required for any handouts from an individual to have any disclaimers on them, unless that person is running for office or is affiliated with a candidates campaign. If you can read the handouts, they clearly say VOTE FOR ANYONE BUT PRATT. They are being distributed by private individuals that are notcandidates and that are not affiliated with a campaign. ALSO, THEY ARE BEING PRINTED AND HANDED OUT BY LIFELONG REPUBLICAN ATTORNEYS, THAT ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THE FAMILIES AND THE CHILDREN THAT COME IN FRONT OF OUR COURTS. Quit calling us liberals and Democrats, and just wake up. This is a terrible judge, she was a huge mistake for our party to ever support, and now we have the opportunity and the obligation to fix our previous mistake.
Also, do you ever wonder at all why Judge Pratt’s biggest supporters are either paid goons (Stuart, Norma, Valerie and Burt) or are attorneys that greatly benefit from judicial appointments in her court? Or do you ever wonder why a so-called “conservative” like Pratt is sending out a confirmed Democrat (Ronnie Harrison) to speak for her at various campaign events? How many times has Ms. Harrison run for office in this county as a Democrat?
Robert S. Clark says
Wow. I have thought long and hard as to whether or not I even want to bother with this any further, and simply let everyone else believe whatever they want to believe. However, the one thing that just irritates the hell out of me is when people do not tell the truth — so here I go.
First – Leif makes a very good point in his comment above. Truther1 mentions that ” Judge Pratt had 1, maybe 2 yellow sheets in my hand.” MY HAND? Is that you Judge Pratt? Posting under Truther1? That is just a very curious mistake for someone to make. I think Dr. Freud might have done some work in this area in the past… What’s wrong? Your hired “supporters” are tired of explaining your bizarre and inexplicable behavior? If you are going to start fighting your own battles, then have the courage to use your real name. Amazing.
Second – As to Judge Pratt’s (Truther1’s) allegations above that the person who told the reporter that Judge Pratt was picking up his campaign materials “went nameless” in the article, well I am that person. My name is Robert S. Clark, and I certainly did not go nameless here or anywhere. The conversation between I and David Jennings is exactly as he reported, and I am just assuming that he did not use my name in his article since I had no idea that he was even going to write an article on this and he had not checked with me in advance.
Third – As to my handouts being made and distributed in contravention of the rules, please direct me to exactly what rule you are referring. I am not running for any office, I am not part of anyone’s campaign, and I am not collecting any money from anyone to make or produce these handouts. Each and every statement on the handouts is factual and correct, and unlike you Judge Pratt I have the Court transcripts and records to back them up. You should know that I am a halfway decent, board-certified family law attorney, and I am not one to go shooting my mouth off with something that I cannot support. Also, you might also wish to report the two litigants in your court that were present last night for also violating the rules, because they had likewise copied at their expense one of the numerous articles about your judicial incompetence and shenanigans, and were distributing then to the tables. By the way, they are also Republicans. Lifelong.
Fourth – Your paid precinct chair supporter, Stuart Mayper, did in fact tell me that you instructed him to collect my handouts and to throw them away. I took a stack of approximately 60 of my flyers directly out of his hand, and Jared Woodfill did tell him that he needed to leave other people’s materials alone. He said that he would respect Mr. Woodfill’s wishes. It was you that chose to ignore the chairman’s instructions after that point.
FIfth – I walked up to you at one of the tables while you (Judge Pratt/Truther1) were talking to two men that were seated there, and I directly asked you why you were picking up the materials that we were distributing. You told me that they were trash and that you knew exactly where they needed to be put, you told me not to talk to you, and you scampered off. I am assuming that you threw away the stack of 40 or 50 flyers that you had collected after we distributed them. Such a waste of good paper — and of the truth.
Sixth – I am 48 years old Judge, and I have NEVER voted in a Democratic primary. I worked as a paid employee in the State Capitol for 3 separate Republicans, worked for the Republican Party of Texas, and have volunteered on numerous Republican campaigns over the years. I have contributed money to Republican candidates over the years, and I am going to financially support any candidate that can defeat you in this election. Please tell your father and your paid folks to quit referring to me as a liberal Democrat. I am pretty thick skinned, but now at this point it is just laughable that you keep saying it.
Seventh – My last point in this unfortunately lengthy post. WE are right. By WE, I mean all of the litigants, attorneys, Republicans, Democrats, and court staff members that are actively opposing your re-election. We have the facts, the proof, the statistics and the truth on our side. You do not. Your tenure on the bench has been a dismal failure Judge Pratt, and it is time for you to move on. Your time is up, which is the best thing that could happen for the children that you claim to protect and the law which you swore to uphold. I know that this is a tough thing for your to hear, but it needs to be said. I am proud of my colleagues that are brave enough to stand up and let everyone know the truth, and I am embarrassed about the ones that choose to remain silent out of fear of your judicial reprisals. You represent a clear and present danger to all of the parties which come through your court, and this is a travesty for lack of a better word. The families and children in the family law courts are usually in tough spots, and your blatant cronyism and bizarre decisions are harming them. Once again, I have facts on my side. So do the four other candidates that are running against you in this primary. Why don’t you have the courage to debate them on these issues? If not your opponents, then debate me. I am sure that Big Jolly Politics would be glad to moderate the debate. However, be warned — you are likely to have to deal with the facts, and that just won’t work out too well for you.
ANYONE BUT PRATT
Robert S. Clark, Sr.
Rhymes W. Right says
I’ll add one more — Judge Pratt’s paid tool Stuart Mayper spend last night trying to discredit my blog and Facebook posts by claiming that I am liberal Democrat Greg Enos — despite the fact that for the last decade or so i have been both a precinct chair and the publisher of a blog under the handle Rhymes With Right. Apparently the truth has no meaning to these clowns.
Rhymes W. Right says
I just realized that we may be doing incompetent judge Denise Pratt a disservice by saying that she is Truther1 — he/she may be paid tool Stuart Mayper.
Keith Woods says
Rob– You go boy. I have known Robert Clark for almost 25 years, and he has always been a Republican. While I cannot change his mind on that, I firmly believe him regarding the antics of Judge Pratt.
ANYONE BUT PRATT.
Keith L. Woods
Attorney Harris County
Truther1 says
Wow, all that focus on the word “my” and I’m suddenly Judge Pratt? I’ll tell you, it was a typo/mistype. I was editing my response before hitting “post comment” and was originally saying that I was holding more papers in my hand (as well as the many others reading them) than she is shown holding in the picture. I decided to change what I was going to say about Judge Pratt. I’m sorry that you read so far into that, but I can assure you that I’m neither Judge Pratt nor Stuart Mayper. I can also assure you that as another has noted, I am not running for any office, I am not part of anyone’s campaign, and I am not collecting any money from anyone for anything.
Needless to say, David’s logic would dictate that because “he was there”, I obviously wasn’t. I was. So were hundreds of others. You write an entire article, and the only “proof” you have is a picture or two that do NOT support what you claim. There are not numerous yellow sheets in Judge Pratt’s hand in either picture. I see one, maybe two. Some pink sheets. A blue sheet.
And the claim that Judge Pratt was admonished by Jared Woodfill? I’ll believe that when I hear it from Jared. Rob Clark, I took the time to check into your reputation. It’s not quite the impressive resume that you claim.
Where do you get your information about Judge Pratt paying Stuart Mayper? It’s not on her ethics report. Is he the man you called her “little henchman” at the Cypress Tea Party Meeting? Aren’t you the one that tried to physically rip the Judge Pratt sticker off of a supporter at the Downtown Houston Pachyderm Club meeting? Appalling behavior on all counts.
As far as the comments to Judge Pratt, I guess you’ll have to tell her yourself. However, me thinks thou doth protest too much….
Robert S. Clark says
I tried to rip a sticker off of a Pratt supporter last week? That is funny.
As Mr. Jennings has already mentioned to you Truther1/Denise, facts are facts. I know that has to be rather inconvenient for you. I suggest you quit trying to convince yourself that a picture doesn’t mean anything, and that constantly repeating something that is BS makes it true.
Oh, and once again, we do not seem to have caught your name…….
tlynn says
Are you kidding me?
I can’t tell from the picture whether she is putting down paper at
the beginning of the meeting,
or picking up paper at the end of the meeting.
There are clearly very few people around so it would seem to be after
the meeting was completed.
What happens to the paper after the meeting anyway? Thrown away by janitors?
And didn’t I read that you picked up at least one of Judge Pratt’s pink sheets?
Big Jolly, you used to at least talk about substance.
David Jennings says
tlynn
Ah, another Pratt supporter with a reading problem. Seems to run rampant with those people. Plenty of witnesses saw her do it. Once again, this was during the middle of the meeting – people would have had the opportunity to pick them up on their way out or to read them when they went for a restroom break. Way over your head, I guess.
Hopefully the voters will do the right thing and send her home to be with her family and get her medications corrected.
Jack O'Connor says
I heard Judge Pratt being interviewed by Matt Patrick on 740. If I understood her correctly she said she bypassed the law to do what she thought was appropriate in cases that included violence and substance abuse. She blames high turnover of clerks in her court for serious lapses in administrative duties, which she now says are remedied. Who will be the judge of that. Over and above her late rulings and dimissals, however, where is the line drawn between the law and ignoring the law for what she thinks should apply to a ruling or judgement?
Alvin Walker says
Hey Jack, I blame a spoon for being fat. The other Judges seem to be able to keep up. Why not Pratt? Isn’t the law clear? Lets make the laws in Austin and elect Judges that will follow them.
Need a name says
You guys need to choose which opponent to vote for and post it. I am a lifelong r, civil lawyer, and I have no clue who the other candidates are. I tell lots of people to vote against her but I don’t know who to tell them to vote for. You are soon going to run the risk of reflecting her because the other 4 are going to split the vote.
Tasha White says
Is this where the $400.00 Chris Daniel’s gave Pratt went?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OHmNfsgs3c
Lis R. says
You just can’t make this shit up! If we actually give Pratt enough votes to put her in a run-off or even back on the bench, then we (Republicans) should just be ashamed. I am voting for Alicia Franklin to replace this corrupt woman.