The process of appointing a municipal court judge for the city of Levelland is moving along as the City Council held an executive meeting today to interview a handful of applicants.
Since the cutoff date for applications earlier in the month, the council has sifted through applications and cut down on possible applicants for the executive session.
City Manger Brandon Anderson explained that the reasoning for reappointment or an appointment of someone else is because of the state statute that has not been recognized for the better part of 20 years.
“Our current judge was appointed over 20 years ago and by Texas statute that appointment should be made every two years,” said Anderson. “The council is doing their due diligence right now. They’re looking at a list of applicants will be handling interviews for the better part of the morning.”
While there is a process and procedure for a majority of the council or city’s actions, Anderson explained that the statute is less strict with this process and pinpointing an exact date for citizens to expect this position to be filled is not possible until this step is handled, and council discusses their options.
“Whatever direction the council decides to go on this, we’ll either put it on the next agenda item and get that appointment or reappointment,” explained Anderson.
Working quickly to get a decision made is the overall goal for the council and city, however, Anderson explained that the council is more concerned with filling the position with the correct individual which requires some time.
For the individual taking the position of the municipal judge, the description of responsibilities includes presiding over all operations and functions of the municipal court in accordance with the city charter, state law, and the U.S. and Texas constitutions.
Additionally, the arraignment of prisoners held in the detention facility; reviewing affidavits and issuing search warrants and warrants of arrest; arraigning, hearing, and deciding cases involving ordinance or statutory misdemeanor violations within the court’s jurisdiction and performing related work as required including magistrate rotation with the other judges in Hockley County are assigned responsibilities. The position also provides direction to other employees.
Essential functions for position include: Organizing court proceedings by reviewing victim, witness and police statements and other evidence, initializing data entry of pertinent case information into the computer, issuing legal paperwork to witnesses, defendents and attorneys, and docketing each case for the trial court.
Must maintain professional knowledge by reviewing current laws and staying current with professional publications, activities in other jurisdictions and innovations in court management.
The individual must oversee court funds by preparing the annual budget, monitoring expenditures and analyzing financial aspects of the court operations.
The person will be tasked with and managing operations of the court by identifying and resolving operational policies, reviewing case management activities, and developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures.
The position must answer legal questions from police officers, defendants, and the public by reviewing state and civil statutes and municipal ordinance, reading written martials, statements and reports, and conferring with other judges.
Lastly, the individual appointed will preside over court hearings and trials by advising the defendant of their constitutional rights and the charges against her or him, obtaining and receiving the defendents statement, weighing the defendant’s statement with other evidence, deciding whether to incarcerate or release by the defendant.