In 2015, I was brutally attacked outside of my home by a former defendant in my court. I was shot 4 times from approximately 4 feet away. I underwent 30 surgeries, and after only four months, I returned to the bench because I was determined to uphold my commitment to serve my community as District Judge.
Since then, I have become an advocate for Judicial courthouse security measures nationwide. In 2017, I fought to have the Judge Julie Kocurek Courthouse Security Act passed by the Texas Legislature to prevent further assassination attempts to members of our judiciary.