How many people know the various positions in the criminal justice system, or, how they attain office? The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for all criminal matters in the State of Texas. The Court, which is based in the Supreme Court Building in Downtown Austin, is composed of a Presiding Judge in Place One and 8 other judges in Places 2 through 9. Judge Richardson was elected to Place 3 in 2014 and is running for reelection to his second six-year term. He sat for a video interview to tell our viewers about the Court and its jurisdiction. In addition, he sent the following bio:
“Robert C. “Bert” Richardson serves as a Judge (Place 3) on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He is the son of the late Lt. Col. Marlin Richardson (USAF) who was a career fighter pilot and Veteran of 160 missions in the Vietnam War. His mother, NanEtte Richardson, is the owner of NanEtte Richardson Fine Art in San Antonio, Texas. His brother recently retired from his 23rd deployment to the Middle East as a member of the USAF Special Ops. After his family lived overseas and across the country, his father retired in San Antonio. He graduated from high school in San Antonio, received his B.S. degree from Brigham Young University, and his J.D. Degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
“He worked his way through undergraduate and law school as a photographer, employee of Southwest Airlines, and an intern in the Bexar County DA’s Office. Admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1988, Judge Richardson has 30 years of trial experience as a lawyer and judge. He became Board Certified in Criminal Law in 5 years and is fluent in Spanish, which he was able to use while presiding in courts across the State. He was named a Distinguished Law Graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law in 2015. From 1988 to 1999 he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Bexar County and an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
“He has written and been involved in hundreds of appellate cases while working at the Court of Criminal Appeals and as both a State and Federal prosecutor. He also has an extensive experience in death penalty cases both at the trial and appellate level. In addition to his trial experience as a judge and prosecutor, he has successfully participated (pro bono) in 2 international cases requiring a foreign country to place one of their own citizens on their Olympic team after refusing to provide her a place on the team, even though she had met the Olympic standard.
“He was appointed to the 379th District Court by Governor George Bush in 1999 and served in that position until 2009. As a Senior Visiting Judge from 2009-2014, he presided over a wide variety of civil and criminal matters throughout three Judicial Regions, including capital trials, writs ordered by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and many other high-profile cases. He was elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2014. He currently serves as the Court Liaison to the State Bar of Texas. Judge Richardson taught law-related classes at San Antonio College for several years and was an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at St. Mary’s University School of Law for over 10 years.
“He also served as a private judge and mediator. Judge Richardson has been married for 35 years. His wife is a retired teacher and school and city employee benefits administrator, and their son is a graduate of Texas Tech University and a Bexar County Probation Officer. An avid photographer, Richardson was an assistant photo editor of his college yearbook and is currently a contributing photographer to several national and regional publications and websites. He runs and bikes on a regular basis and is actively involved in his church and local community.” For more info: www.electjudgerichardson.com
.jpg)
