| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Judge Susan Criss of the 212th Judicial District |
|
|
Court in Galveston is celebrating her 50th birthday on February 23, |
|
|
2011; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Susan Criss earned her bachelor of arts degree in |
|
|
government from The University of Texas at Austin and her juris |
|
|
doctorate from the South Texas College of Law in Houston; she is |
|
|
certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and began |
|
|
practicing criminal law in 1988; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, After serving as a special prosecutor for child and |
|
|
elder abuse and as an assistant criminal district attorney, she |
|
|
became a district judge in 1999; during her tenure of more than a |
|
|
decade presiding over the 212th Judicial District Court, she has |
|
|
toughened restrictions for sex offenders on probation, launched a |
|
|
program that provides Spanish-speaking probationers with written |
|
|
translations of forms, and created the first court website in |
|
|
Galveston County, which includes a "Court Class for Children" |
|
|
section designed for children who may need to serve as witnesses in |
|
|
a trial; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008, Judge |
|
|
Criss participated in managing emergency orders and reestablishing |
|
|
the county's justice system; she also oversaw the timely handling |
|
|
of more than 4,000 claims arising from a refinery plant explosion |
|
|
that occurred in 2005 in Texas City; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, This esteemed jurist is the founder of three |
|
|
organizations to assist Galveston County residents: the Advocacy |
|
|
Center for Children, the Child Abuse and Neglect Task Force, and the |
|
|
Child Fatality Review Task Force; moreover, she is the chair of the |
|
|
Gulf Coast Center MHMR Jail Diversion Task Force and a member of the |
|
|
National Association of Women Judges and the Texas Bar Foundation; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Honored in 2005 by the Fred C. Johnson Foundation |
|
|
with a "People Who Make a Difference" award, Judge Criss has |
|
|
received numerous recognitions for directing the Color of Justice |
|
|
video project, which features minority judges, lawyers, and law |
|
|
students and encourages schoolchildren to pursue careers in law and |
|
|
the judiciary; she has lectured widely on such topics as emergency |
|
|
preparedness, media interaction, and domestic violence; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Judge Susan Criss has set an outstanding example of |
|
|
hard work, dedication, and concern for others, and those served by |
|
|
the 212th Judicial District Court are indeed fortunate to have the |
|
|
benefit of her knowledge, experience, and leadership; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor state district court judge Susan Criss on |
|
|
the occasion of her 50th birthday and extend to her sincere best |
|
|
wishes for continued success and happiness; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Judge Criss as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |