SAN ANTONIO – It will be a battle of the judges in November as Democrat Michael Mery and Republican Melissa Skinner will be vying for the bench in the 144th District Court.
The position has been vacant since January after the death of Judge Ray Olivarri, who died after a lengthy battle with cancer.
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On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott named Judge Skinner to fill the unexpired term.
Though it’s an honor, Skinner said, it’s not an easy position to be in with an election just over two months away.
“Absolutely, I’m at a disadvantage,” Skinner said. “But that’s all right because it’s a very different time and not like a regular campaign for anybody.”
“She will be a sitting judge, and I am a sitting judge, so we both have the same advantages and disadvantages,” Mery said about his opponent.
Mery is currently the judge in the 37th Civil District Court, and Skinner previously presided in the 290th Criminal District Court.
Citing the pandemic and the summer’s civil unrest, Mery said now is the time for reform in and out of the criminal justice system.
“The soft underside of the criminal justice system has been exposed,” Mery said. “We’re in great need of reform, all kinds of reform, and I am a reformer at heart.”
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Skinner noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge case backlog in cases, a problem she says merits courtroom efficiency.
“I spent years being the most, or at least one of the most, efficient courts in Bexar County, and I aim for that always,” Skinner said.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.