The ex-judge who voluntarily resigned amid allegations that she had improper ex parte communications by texting a prosecutor during a trial is now campaigning to become an elected prosecutor herself. Elizabeth Coker is running in the Republican primary, challenging incumbent Lee Hon to be Polk County criminal district attorney. Coker, who did not return a call for comment, wrote about her campaign announcement on Facebook: “The support and encouragement I am receiving has been overwhelming and humbling. I want to thank all my family, friends and supporters who still want me as a public servant.” Hon said his campaign will focus on his 18-year record as a prosecutor, and he doesn’t plan to make an issue of Coker’s alleged ex parte communications. “I feel like I run a good office. We are professional, we are ethical, we take our jobs very seriously here, and we’ve been very successful, I think, in our pursuit of justice,” said Hon, who has been D.A. since 2007 and until now has run unopposed. He said Coker, who was a judge for 15 years, is “widely known” in the county. He doesn’t know yet how the allegations of ex parte communications by Coker will affect the election. Hon added that he’s embarrassed that the story of Coker’s alleged conduct went viral on the Internet. He doesn’t like it that Coker’s D.A. campaign could “reignite” the debate. “I worried to what extent this whole controversy has undermined public confidence in what goes on in the judicial system in this county and the criminal-justice system,” said Hon. “I know a lot of people here would just like to get past this whole unfortunate circumstance, and get back to doing the job that people expect us to be doing in this courthouse. That’s something that personally concerns me.” Neither Seana Willing, executive director of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, nor Dick DeGuerin, who represented the commission in its investigation of Coker, returned an email seeking comment. The commission “made no finding or determination of fact in my voluntary resignation, and I have not admitted guilt, fault or liability in my voluntary resignation,” wrote Coker in a statement following her resignation. “While I could have fought these allegations, it would have involved significant time, significant expense, and disruption to everyone involved.”
Drumroll, Please
San Antonio solo Allan DuBois and Beverly Godbey, a partner in Gardere Wynne Sewell in Dallas will face off in the State Bar of Texas president-elect race. The state bar’s nominations and elections subcommittee on Dec. 13, 2013, decided to recommend DuBois and Godbey after interviewing six potential nominees in Austin, said Ray Cantu, the subcommittee’s staff liaison. “The board will vote to approve the committee’s recommendations at their board meeting in San Antonio,” said Cantu. That meeting is Jan. 23 and 24. DuBois said he’s honored to be a nominee. He thinks it gives him an opportunity “to hopefully continue to move the state bar in the right direction.” When asked what he would do if elected, DuBois replied, “In my philosophy, I think we need to turn inward, and we need to help our own, and we need to do things for lawyers and their families.” For example, he said he would try to help younger lawyers learn to practice properly and to find jobs, which would in turn allow them to afford to pay their student loans. For older lawyers who wish to retire, he said he would like to help them transition “with dignity.” DuBois also said it would be a good idea to match up older and younger lawyers in a mentoring program. Godbey noted that whoever wins the election will be president-elect when the state bar is under review by the Sunset Advisory Commission, which reviews state agencies every 12 years and recommends changes. “We want to reach out to our members and make sure that the bar is addressing the concerns of the members, particularly as we go into Sunset,” said Godbey. She also said she would continue efforts to secure adequate funding for civil legal aid for low-income Texans, promote professionalism and civility among lawyers, and continue offering good continuing legal education. “Those are both things the state bar does really well, but we want to continue to underscore those values, which promote the rule of law among lawyers,” she said. State bar spokesman Lowell Brown wrote in an email that the subcommittee also interviewed Dallas solo Bill Elliott, Winstead shareholder Talmage Boston of Dallas, Judy Ney of the Texas Department of Insurance in Houston and University of Houston Law Center professor David Crump. Buck Files, cochairman of the subcommittee, did not return a call or email seeking comment.
