KAREN GUERRA IS RUNNING FOR DISTRICT COURT JUDGE
Thursday, July 19, 2007Karen Guerra, prominent local attorney, announced this week that she is seeking election as Judge of the 16 th District Court in Denton County. Mrs. Guerra has been an attorney for almost 18 years and currently operates a private law practice in Carrollton, Texas. She is board certified as a specialist in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In her announcement, she pledged to work hard for the citizens of Denton County as the 16th District Court Judge.
“The district courts are vitally important to our citizens, since they are the primary trial courts in Texas. District courts handle felony criminal cases, family law cases, suits for title to land, and large civil cases. I have extensive experience in the types of cases that come before the District Court,” Guerra stated. “We need judges with experience in all areas of the law. The citizens of Denton County want judges who will be fair and impartial and who will make rulings based on the evidence and the applicable laws. I will be such a judge. I am committed to making a positive improvement in the administration of justice in that Court.”
The formal announcement was made at the local Democratic Party fundraiser for Precinct 120 in Denton. Although Denton County has primarily voted with the Republican Party in recent years, Guerra explained that thirty years ago Democrats were the dominant party in Denton County. She believes that many Democrats in the area have merely voted for Republican candidates because they did not have a choice. She stated that government in Denton County will be improved by giving the voters a choice in a two-party system.
Guerra said, “I have been a conservative Democrat all my life. I support most of the platform of the Democratic Party including the belief that our legal system should serve as the bedrock that protects and guarantees our rights and freedoms. All people must have full access to the courts and equal treatment under the law, with confidence that their grievances will be fairly adjudicated. The guilty must be justly punished for crimes they commit, the innocent must be protected, the rights of victims must be ensured, and the accused provided due process.”
She went on to say, “It is time for a change. I recognize that in Denton County, I may be considered an outsider of the current political establishment. But I believe this is an advantage, since a judge is to be fair and impartial. More importantly, most informed voters in Denton County vote for the individual who is best qualified for the job, regardless of party affiliation.”
In her announcement, Guerra discussed her qualifications. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Texas - Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. She attended Baylor Law School, where she graduated with honors. She has been practicing law since 1989, and has been certified as a specialist in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1995. Guerra formerly served as a Staff attorney for the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas and an Assistant Attorney General of Texas, managing a child support enforcement office in Corpus Christi, Texas. Guerra and her husband moved to Denton County in 2001, when she accepted a position with the Hammerle Finley Law Firm. She opened her private practice in Carrollton in June 2004.
Karen Guerra has been married to John Guerra for 33 years. John Guerra is also an attorney who is certified as a specialist in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, he has limited his practice to mediation of disputes. John and Karen Guerra are members of Holy Cross Church in The Colony. Their son, John, is a Solutions Engineer for Sprint and attends Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law during the evenings. Karen Guerra and her husband have one granddaughter, and they expect to be blessed with a grandson any day.
Karen Guerra will be running against the Republican incumbent Carmen Rivera-Worley during the November 2008 general election. Judge Rivera-Worley was appointed to the Court in June 2003 to fill the vacancy in the 16 th District Court and ran unopposed in the 2004 election. Prior to Rivera-Worley’s appointment, Judge John Narsutis served as Judge of the 16th District Court for nearly 20 years. According to the 2007 annual poll of defense attorneys conducted by the Denton County Bar Association, Judge Rivera-Worley was the lowest ranked of all District Judges in Denton County. Out of 68 respondents to the poll, Worley was rated as poor or unacceptable by 17 respondents and was rated as fair by 22 respondents. The topped rank judge in that poll was Judge Jake Collier of the 158 th District Court.
SOURCE: Karen Guerra for Judge Campaign
Karen Guerra for Judge Campaign
1930 E. Rosemeade Parkway, Suite 211
Carrollton, Texas 75007
Phone: 972-939-4587
Fax: 972-939-4657
Please call if you have questions.
Email: info@electkarenguerra.com
Web: http://www.electkarenguerra.com
