As you know, in addition to selecting a Democratic nominee for County Commissioners Court in Precinct 1, precinct chairs everywhere in Harris County will get to select two judicial nominees, for newly-created courts. There are six people who have expressed an interest in the new 507th Family District Court. Five of them have submitted judicial Q&As to me for prior candidacies This is the Q&A with the sixth candidate.
Germaine Tanner
1. What is your name?
My name is Germaine Tanner, and I am seeking the support and vote of precinct chairs to be their Democratic Nominee to be placed on the democratic ballot for judge of the 507th District Court.
2. Why are you seeking the nomination for this bench?
I am passionately seeking the nomination for this bench because I am convinced that I am the best-qualified person to make a real difference for families seeking redress in the 507th District Court, and among the candidates, there is no one better suited than I am to serve these families with fairness, competence, and excellence.
• I will serve families as a servant-judge in the 507th District Court.
• I will bring “A Breath of Fresh Air” to the family court system.
• I will help to restore fairness and balance to the judiciary.
• I will initiate innovative approaches to educating and assisting families in resolving their conflicts and disputes.
• I will help to move our family law benches forward as a judge who reflects the diverse composition of the citizenry of Harris County.
3. What are your qualifications for this job?
My qualifications for this job include, but are not limited to, the following:
• I have 13 years of practice and experience, (my entire legal career), with an exclusive family law practice, representing and working with hundreds of families in Harris County.
• I have litigated and negotiated cases for my clients in every area of family law, from divorces to appeals.
• I have presented family law seminars to paralegals, attorneys, and high school students.
• I stay abreast of family law policies and changes as a member of the State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, attending yearly our Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar held in San Antonio, TX.
• I have been awarded membership into the exclusive College of the State Bar of Texas, as a result of amassing, every year, more continuing legal education hours than required as a practicing attorney in this state. I am committed to being a lifelong learner.
• I am the only candidate for this position who has had actual “judicial” experience. I am an Independent Hearing Examiner for the Texas Education Agency. This position is akin to that of an Administrative Law Judge.
• I have had diverse work experience in the private business sector prior to my legal career which brings even more added value to my candidacy for judge:
Banking industry in Champaign, IL; Allstate Insurance Company; Golden State Mutual Life Insurance in Chicago, IL; Awarded a competitive, prestigious internship in my third year of law school, working in the legal department of State Farm Insurance Companies, and HISD and Cy-Fair ISD as a substitute teacher.
• I have the wisdom, temperament, integrity, strength of character, and competency — indispensable qualities required for a judge.
4. Why is this race important?
This race is important because the 507th District Court is a newly-created family Court, in which the current judge was an appointee of Governor Abbott.
• Since there was not a primary election for this court position, the precinct chairs will have the opportunity to choose the Democratic nominee to be placed on the November ballot.
• Considering that this race is very narrowly determined, it is important for the precinct chairs to vote for the candidate who most actively, consistently and successfully practices family law.
• Choosing the right candidate will help insure the best chances for winning the election against the current incumbent.
5. Why should the precinct chairs choose you to be the nominee for the 507th Family Court and not one of the other candidates?
In summary, the precinct chairs should choose me and not one of the other candidates because I am the most energetic, best qualified, and most experienced person to serve the families who deserve to be served well in the 507th Family District Court. I will make a difference in their lives and in the way cases are handled in this court. A new court warrants new life and a fresh face with a fresh perspective on how we can move our family courts forward for the greater good of the children and families of Harris County.
• I am the only candidate who is surprisingly new, different, and refreshing –“A Breath of Fresh Air” for the 507th District Court.
• I will cultivate, at all times, the atmosphere of “esprit de corps” in my court.
• I will leverage the attorneys’ time in the court more efficiently, manage the cases of the families more effectively, and integrate wisdom with sound judgment in applying the law to resolving family problems.