Democratic incumbent Michael Gomez of Harris County’s 129th District Court faces Republican Will Archer in his bid for reelection.
First elected to the bench in 2009, Gomez is currently serving his third term. Before his career on the bench, Gomez handled insurance defense litigation as well as corporate and securities matters, having stints at Locke Lord, Westmoreland Hall Maines & Lugrin and running his own law firm.
Archer has practiced law for three decades handling probate matters, business litigation and other civil law. He says it has been a lifelong goal to serve as a judge. In 2016, he unsuccessfully ran for judge in the 80th District Court against Judge Larry Weiman.
Gomez is overwhelmingly favored by the legal community in this election. According to the Houston Bar Association’s 2020 Judicial Preference Poll, more than twice as many respondents preferred Gomez to win compared to Archer. Gomez has also received good marks in the HBA’s judicial evaluation poll. In the latest poll, released last year, 37% gave him an overall rating of excellent, 22% rated him as very good and 17% rated him as satisfactory. The area that respondents most wanted improvement in from Gomez was providing decisive and timely rulings.
Gomez did not respond to multiple requests for an interview or to fill out a questionnaire prepared by The Texas Lawbook, but Archer’s responses are below.
Will Archer
Q: What led you to practice law?
A: Desire to learn more and help people solve their problems.
Q: What led you to enter this race?
A: To give back to the public. As a practicing attorney, it has been a lifelong goal to be a civil court judge.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your career and how your previous experience would help you during your service on the bench.
A: I have practiced law in both the federal and state courts. I have witnessed judges being easily confused and then failing to rule on issues presented. It is my belief that hard work and preparation by judges would be the end of this problem.
Q: What do you wish you’d been taught in law school that you were not?
A: Nothing.
Q: What are one or two of the most significant cases you have handled as a trial lawyer?
A: Taxing Authorities v. Kalantzakis, Estate of Russ Mitchell, Deceased, and many, many more.
Q: How often do you practice before the civil courts in Harris County?
A: Daily.
Q: How many cases have you tried before a jury in your career?
A: I have tried numerous cases both jury and nonjury in various courts which include: state district courts, county courts, probate courts, justice courts and courts of appeals.
Q: Have you ever practiced before your opponent? If so, what was good and bad about the experience?
A: No.
Q: What kind of change would you like to see in the courthouse, and what would you do to promote change if elected?
A: To have the attorney appear in the courtroom for all pretrial matters.
Q: What kind of feedback do you hear from fellow lawyers about your opponent and how would you do a better job?
A: He is very quiet.
Q: What else sets you apart from your opponent?
A: I work hard and will be prepared to rule with honesty and impartiality on cases.
Q: One of the biggest challenges civil courts are facing right now is the backlog of jury trials due to COVID-19. What would you do to combat that challenge?
A: Set more cases for trial under Zoom. Also have all cases subject to mediation prior to being set for trial.
Q: There is a significant problem with (a) jury attendance and (b) jury pool diversity. Less than one in five people summonsed to jury service shows up. Those who do show up do not seem to be a representative cross-section of the community. How is this impacting the administration of justice in Texas and what can be done about it?
A: Advertising to the people regarding the importance that each individual do their civic duty.
Q: No matter what you say here, some voters will vote against you simply because they’re straight ticket voters and you’re on the wrong side of their ballot. There is another group of voters who are inclined to do the same, but could be convinced otherwise. What would you say to them? Why should they vote for you even if your political party doesn’t match their values?
A: The party moniker placed on judicial candidates should not be determined if they are the best candidate but for voters to seek out information on each candidate before they cast their vote.
Q: Is there anything else you would like voters to know?
A: I have served as an attorney in this community for over 29 years. I have given thousands of hours of free legal assistance to lower income families and have been recognized by the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas numerous times.
Editor’s Note: Candidate response may be edited to comply with Texas Lawbook style guidelines.
Publisher’s Note: This coverage of the 2020 judicial elections by The Texas Lawbook is being made available outside our paywall courtesy of Thompson Coburn and Carter Arnett.