Note: This entry is part of a series of written Q&As with judicial candidates who will be on the ballot in Harris County. I am also doing recorded interviews with non-judicial candidates.

1. Who are you, and what are you running for?

Mike Engelhart. I am running to become Judge of the 151st Civil District Court of Harris County, Texas.

2. What kind of cases does this court hear?

Civil disputes including business disputes, injury cases, consumer claims, civil rights cases, real estate matters, among others.

3. Why are you running for this particular bench?

I am running to bring balance to the courts as there are currently no Democratic judges in any countywide Harris County courts. Further, I have a specific plan HERE to restore efficiency and balance to the Court.

4. What are your qualifications for this job?

I was an Associate Editor of Houston Law Review in law school. I have been trying cases my entire career, and I know what works and what doesn't work. I have substantially more experience than my opponent did when she took the bench. I am the only candidate with trial experience, as well as appellate and federal court experience.

5. Why is this race important?

This race is important because I believe in the importance of juries. The right to trial by jury is being compromised in Harris County and in Texas. This valuable right must be protected and reinvigorated. The courts of Harris County, including the 151st, dismiss cases at an unusually high rate. A new approach is needed.

6. Why should people vote for you in November?

People should vote for me now and on November 4th because I will remember two things when I take the bench. First, the voters put me in that courtroom and can remove me. And second, that the taxpayers pay my salary. Therefore, I will treat the position like the privilege it is, and treat the litigants in my courtroom like I am there to do a job for them and that I am the one who should bend over backwards to help.

PREVIOUSLY:

Dion Ramos, 55th Civil Judicial District Court.
Shawna Reagin, 176th District Criminal Court.
Al Bennett, 61st Civil Judicial District Court.
Judge Jim Jordan, Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
Mike Miller, 11th Civil Judicial District Court.
Andres Pereira, 190th Civil Judicial District Court.
Steven Kirkland, 215th Civil Judicial District Court.
Martin Siegel, Court of Appeals, 14th District, Place 7.
Randy Roll, 179th District Criminal Court.
Leslie Taylor, Court of Appeals, First District, Place 5.
Kyle Carter, 125th Civil Judicial District Court.
Hazel Jones, 338th District Criminal Court.
Bert Moser, Court of Appeals, 14th District, Place 4.
Peter Rene, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 1.
Larry Weiman, 80th Civil Judicial District Court.