Family Educators Alliance of South Texas (FEAST)
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CIVICS
Civics Class—August 18, 9:45am-Noon
Please join us once a month, every third Wednesday for Civics Class. A complimentary lunch is provided for which there is no charge, however please consider bringing a generous love offering to help with expenses. The FEAST Civics Classes are open to the public and you may choose to attend one class or all the classes. No required tests and no writing skills are needed as all ages are encouraged to attend with parents. Children are encouraged to be a part of the program and to become active members of their society. God be praised!
Mr. Jason Pulliam–Former Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps
Judge Lisa K. Jarrett
Judge Lisa K. Jarrett July Class Class Summary
November is coming fast! Civics Class offers the best chance to hear from your elected officials and candidates in an informative environment.
Our first speaker was Judge Lori Valenzuela, from the 437th Judicial District Court. She is a native San Antonian who was appointed by Governor Perry to be the very first judge of this brand new courtroom. She will be seeking election by the people this November. Judge Valenzuela explained that District Court cases are “felony, adult, criminal” cases only and she enjoys what she does because everyday she sees our Constitution in practice as defendants get “their day in court”. Judge Valenzuela has worked as a prosecutor under Steve Hilbig and subsequently as a defense attorney, affording her non-judicial experience from both sides of the law. She also served as a prosecutor under an Assistant DA under Judge Susan Reed. Judge Lori explained that our judicial system offers a bifurcated trial, allowing defendants the opportunity to plea in front of a judge while still having a jury hear the punishment phase or, conversely, to have punishment determined by a judge should a jury trial result in a conviction.
Judge Valenzuela energetically and cheerfully answered questions from those in attendance. We learned the details of plea bargaining and that about 90% of cases are resolved, in Stage 1, through plea bargaining in front of a judge. We learned that no one outside of the jury room has any clue what is taking place in the room and that jurors are not allowed to ask questions during a trial. There were questions about witnesses, evidence, jury selection and her typical day as a judge. Her informative style generated natural interest and curiosity. She is already planning to return for another class interaction.
After hearing from judicial candidates Mr.Walden Shelton and Mr Scott Roberts, State Board of Education member and The Honorable Ken Mercer,the microphone was turned over to our second speaker, Judge Raymond Angelini of the 187th District Court, husband of Judge Karen Angelini who has also visited our class. He grew up in San Antonio , a graduate of Lee High School , and “remembers when North Star Mall was built!”. Judge Angelini has presided over the 187th court since 1994 and will be seeking re-election this November. He loves his job because it gives him a “front row seat on great dramas of our time”, his manner with the class was casual and easy-going and he quickly opened up for questions from the class. A successful lawyer, he stressed, absolutely must have the ability to read an awful lot – his days are filled with reading. We learned that Nelson Wolfe is in charge of the physical structure of the court house but the judges have no “single boss” presiding over them – judges are made accountable for their work through the election process. As a judge, he becomes an expert "of sorts" in many fields because cases involving special topics require research [reading, reading...] by the lawyer and interviews with experts who will take the witness stand, so his occupation affords him a broad view of our society. He states that justice is ultimately a subjective thing and that our system is designed to spare the innocent, which necessarily means that some guilty will go unpunished. We appreciated his candor and willingness to respond to our class on an especially inquisitive day.
As usual, public prayer was given to all speakers and was very well received and appreciated. They all expressed interest in returning to visit with us. We enjoyed a delicious sponsored pizza and salad lunch supplemented by a donation of fruit from the Republican Business Women's meeting.
God was glorified and we look forward to seeing you next month on August 18th for another blessed meeting.
• Judge of the 73rd District Court • Practiced in almost every Texas Appellate Court, the Texas Supreme Court, US Fifth, Tenth & Federal Court of Appeals • Board Certified, Civil Appellate Law, Texas Bd. of Legal Specialization • Handled wide variety of litigation • As attorney, rated AV by Martindale Hubbell • President/Chair USLAW, SABF, Bexar County Women’s Bar, UIW Development Board, St. Mary’s Law Alumni Ass’n, SABA Appellate Section, Inn of Court • Belva Lockwood Award, Voice & Vision Award, SABA President’s Award, SALSA Boss of the Year • State Bar Pattern Jury Charge Committee • Published over 100 articles on Texas law; Frequent speaker on Texas law • Public school teacher for 9 years Judge Renée McElhaney now presides over the 73rd District Court. In her first eight months on the bench, she has tried eight jury trials, over a hundred bench trials, and has served as Presiding Judge of the Civil District Courts. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Renée handled a wide range of litigation at Cox Smith, as head of the Appellate Practice Group. She was routinely in trial, addressing the legal issues of a case, from motion practice, to arguing evidentiary rulings, to creating the jury charge. She is a perennial Super Lawyer, has authored hundreds of legal articles, is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has served on the State Bar Pattern Jury Charge Committee for six years. Besides an active law practice, Judge Renée has focused on community service. She has been president/chair of numerous organizations, including USLAW, the San Antonio Bar Foundation, the Bexar County Women’s Bar, the University of Incarnate Word Development Board, and the St. Mary’s Law Alumni Association. She is also a hands-on volunteer, starting a teenage pregnancy prevention program that operated in the Harlendale Independent School District. Service is in Judge Renée’s DNA. Her grandfather lead a squadron of fighters to provide air coverage during the D-Day invasion, and her uncle island hopped behind Japanese lines as part of a bomber crew. Her father, brother, and now her daughter and son-in-law, have all served in the Air Force to protect this great country. Judge Renée views her service as continuing her family’s legacy. Judge Renée is also very proud to have homeschooled her children during our Homedome days.
Copyright © 2009 Family Educators Alliance of South Texas
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Former Judge Advocate, Jason Pulliam
