'Finish What I Started': Wrongfully Convicted Texas Judge Makes Another Run for Bench
"I could not let this situation change me, and I'm not going to," said former Judge Suzanne Wooten. "I'm still the same person: a dedicated, fierce advocate and believer in justice."
September 23, 2019 at 11:33 AM
4 minute read
Former Judge Suzanne Wooten is running for election for the 401st District Court in Collin County, the same area where the nightmare of her life began.
She first donned the black robe after unseating a longtime incumbent in a landslide election in 2008. But the defeated judge, suspicious about how Wooten financed a radio ad, filed a complaint with local prosecutors, who launched a yearslong investigation. That ended when Wooten in 2011 was wrongfully convicted of nine felonies and lost her livelihood.
Vindicated through an acquittal in 2017—a court found that even if the accusations against her were true, it was simply not a crime under Texas law—Wooten is now suing the prosecutors in her case for malicious prosecution.
With that history, some may question why Wooten would take a plunge and run for judge again. Texas Lawyer caught up with Wooten to ask about her decision to run and why she feels it's worth reliving her trauma for a chance to be judge again. Here are her answers, edited for brevity and clarity.
Prosecutors enjoy broad immunity from civil suit, making Wooten's claims an uphill battle. Yet Wooten won a huge victory in March when a federal judge ruled the prosecutors in her case did not get prosecutorial immunity because they took up the role of law enforcement in their investigation, rather than acting like prosecutors. They are appealing the loss.
Why did you decide to run again?
Despite everything that's happened to my family and me, what we have endured through the last nine-plus years, it was natural for me to gravitate back to the bench to finish what I started when I was interrupted. During my years of service on the bench, I believe I was fair, impartial, hardworking and dedicated to serving the community who elected me. I may have a number of opponents in the Republican primary and there is an opponent in the Democratic primary. Of all the candidates, I'm probably uniquely the most qualified, in that I've been a trial lawyer in a number of cases and I presided over thousands of cases as a district judge. I have the experience of being a defendant and understanding when officials abuse their positions of power.
What have you thought and felt about how the campaign may bring back the trauma of your wrongful conviction?
It already has, in that there's still a few of the old guard hanging in there. We're hearing whispers and rumors—nothing loud. I have hundreds of attorneys supporting me openly. Every day, I have a new one. The legal community in itself—I've had nothing but support and encouragement. But I've had a few people say they are worried and concerned about how this will impact me and my family, because it does bring the nightmare back. It is good to continue my fight for justice. It encourages me, more than discourages me.
Why are you willing to go through that for this campaign and to be judge again?
It may be hard to stand up when they push down. I was raised this way: We do not compromise principles, and you move forward to your goals. I could not let this situation change me, and I'm not going to. I'm still the same person: a dedicated, fierce advocate and believer in justice.
How do you anticipate that Collin County voters might respond to your story?
I see a lot of Collin County voters, as well as attorneys. Everyone has Googled me before they got here, and heard about the story. I have had nothing but positive feedback. I intend to go out and talk to every community member I can find, regardless of political affiliation. This is a story and purpose I think people can understand and appreciate. You want someone on the bench that's impartial, and has had life experience, as opposed to someone who hasn't had life experience, and maybe has a rose-colored view of the world.
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