Hon. John Donovan Judge of the 61st District Court in Harris County, Texas Houston Courts and Cases

Houston Court Opinions Harris County Civil Courts and Judges (Non-family)

GOP Blurb on Incumbent Donovan (Keep our Judges dot com)	Democratic Billing (Judges for All)
Judge Donovan is certified in Trial Law and graduated Cum Laude from South Texas College of Law (1984). He has chaired the Civil Courts’ Special Dockets (Mass Torts) Committee and presided over to conclusion the silicone implant docket in Harris County. Judge Donovan has helped improve docket management of mass tort suits.	Al Bennett Candidate for 61st District Court Al Bennett has practiced law in Houston for nearly 20 years. A solo practitioner, Al manages a law practice that specializes in complex commercial and tort litigation matters. Al is licensed to practice within Texas and is also licensed with the U.S. District Courts in the Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of Texas. He serves as Adjunct Professor of Law (Trial Advocacy) for the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University Al served as the chairman of the board and president of the Houston Lawyers Association, and as chair of Committee on Lawyer Referral & Information Services for the State Bar of Texas. He has been rated AV, the highest ratings in legal ability and ethical standards by the Martindale-Hubbell legal rating system. He is a recipient of the Houston Lawyers Association Achievement Award, and the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society Distinguished Service Award.
THE INCUMBENT IN HIS OWN WORDS	THE CHALLENGER SPEAKS
The facts and law vary from case to case. Recusal is an issue to be determined by a judge in considering the facts, circumstances and law. The law provides certain situations in which the judge must recuse himself/herself and I do believe the law must be followed. Source: LWV Voters Guide: Question to candidate: When should a judge recuse himself/herself from a case?	The due process clauses of both the Texas and the United States Constitutions guarantee a party an impartial and disinterested tribunal in civil cases. The inquiry the court must make is whether a reasonable member of the public, knowing all the facts in the public domain, would have a reasonable doubt that a judge is actually impartial.

Harris County District Court Judges 11th  Judge Mike Miller (2009) 11th  Judge Mark Davidson (former)   55th  Judge Dion Ramos (elected 2008) 55th  Judge Jeff Shadwick (former) 55th  Judge Jeff Brown (former) 61st  Judge Al Bennet (2009) 61st  Judge John Donovan (former) 80th  Judge Larry Weiman (2009) 80th  Judge Lynn Bradshaw-Hull (former) 113th  Judge Patricia Hancock 125th  Judge Kyle Carter (2009) 125th  Judge John Coselli (former) 127th  Judge R. K. Sandill (2009) 127th  Judge Sharolyn Wood (former) 129th  Judge Michael Gomez (2009) 129th  Judge Grant Dorfman (former) 133th  Judge Jaclanel McFarland (2009) 133th  Judge Lamar McCorkle (former) 151st   Judge Mike Engelhart (2009) 151st   Judge Caroline E. Baker (former) 152nd  Judge Robert Schaffer (2009) 152nd  Judge Kenneth Wise (former) 157th   Judge Randall Wilson 164th   Judge Alexandra Smoots-Hogan (2009) 164th   Judge Martha Hill Jamison (former) 165th   Judge Josefina Muniz Rendon (2009) 165th   Judge Elizabeth Ray (former) 189th   Judge Bill Burke 190th   Judge Patricia Kerrigan (reelected '08) 190th   Hon. Jennifer W. Elrod (now on 5th Cir) 215th   Judge Steven E. Kirkland (2009) 215th   Judge Levi Benton (former) 234th   Judge Reece Rondon 269th   Judge Dan Hinde (appointed 2008) 269th   John T. Wooldridge (resigned 2008) 270th   Judge Brent Gamble 280th   Judge Tony Lindsay 281st   Judge Sylvia Matthews (appt'd 2008) 281st   Judge David J. Bernal (resigned 2008) 295th   Judge Tracy E. Christopher 333rd  Judge Joseph James "Tad" Halbach Jr. 334th  Judge Sharon McCally (reelected 2008)