David Fleischer (judge)

Last updated

David Fleischer
Judge of the Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2019

David Marcel Fleischer (born December 6, 1974) is an American judge of the Harris County Criminal Court in Texas. [1] He was first elected to the position in 2018, running as a Democrat, and won reelection in 2022. [1] [2] [3] Fleischer is popular online for his unique style of holding defendants accountable while offering guidance. [4] [5] [ peacock prose ]

Contents

Biography

Fleischer was born on December 6, 1974, in Houston, Texas. He is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from Santiago, Chile, to Houston in 1973. [6] [7] He graduated from the University of Houston and Cooley Law School. [2] Fleischer has been a lawyer in Texas since 2004 and was a criminal defense attorney before running for public office. [7]

In 2018, Fleischer ran for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 after incumbent Margaret Harris declined to run for reelection. [6] [8] He focused his campaign on reforming the court and ensuring that all defendants are treated fairly and equally. [2] [6] In the Democratic primary, he faced two challengers and received 50% of the vote, moving on to the general election. [9] In the general election, Fleischer defeated Republican Xavier Alfaro 55.13% to 44.87%. [8] [10]

Once in office, Fleischer worked with other reform judges to settle lawsuits that ruled the bail practices in Harris County were unconstitutional. [1] Under the enacted bail reform, there was a significant reduction of people denied a bond for misdemeanor offenses as well as defendants not being jailed for being late to court or testing positive for marijuana. [1]

Fleischer ran for re-election in 2022 and faced two District Attorney challengers, a Democrat and a Republican. [1] In the March primary election, Fleischer defeated challenger Carlos Aguayo 53.48% to 46.52%. [11] In the general election, he faced Elizabeth Buss who had criticized the county's progressive judges for the increase in violence. [1] Fleischer defended the county's bail reform, saying, "We put in a lot of work [to show] that any fear that someone might have had about bail reform is just nonsensical in the misdemeanor arena." [12] In the November election, Fleischer narrowly defeated Buss, 50.15% to 49.85%. [3] [13]

In 2024, Fleischer received national attention for his viral videos for his blunt commentary while ruling on cases, while also providing guidance and compassion for defendants. [4] [14] He has also received praise for his stance on racial justice and for dismissing cases involving potential racial profiling by law enforcement. [4] [5] [15] Some defense attorneys have criticized Fleischer for "playing to the camera" when live streaming his cases. [5]

Personal life

Fleischer is married and has four children with his wife. [2] [16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barajas, Michael; Ewing, Maura (February 25, 2022). "Judicial Elections Test Profound "Cultural Shift" in Houston". Bolts. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Judicial Q&A: David Fleischer | Off the Kuff" . Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Harab, Matt (January 6, 2023). "Alexandra Mealer, Harris County Judge candidate, among Republicans contesting election results". Houston Public Media. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Texas judge becomes internet hit". ABC News. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Wilburn, Caroline (December 22, 2024). "Houston Judge Fleischer wants to help those who enter his courtroom. Some argue his viral videos are harmful". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Tallet, Olivia P. (March 3, 2018). "Q&A: David M. Fleischer". Chron. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "All rise … The Honorable Judge Hill presiding". jhvonline.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "For County Criminal Court No. 5: Xavier Alfaro". Houston Chronicle. October 16, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2024. Judge Margaret Harris isn't running for reelection and voters have a choice between two well-qualified challengers for this open seat.
  9. ↑ "Democratic Party Cumulative Report" (PDF). Harris County. March 14, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Cumulative Report — Official" (PDF). Harris County. November 14, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Cumulative Results Report" (PDF). Harris County. March 10, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  12. ↑ Carlton, Rachel (September 29, 2022). "Harris County misdemeanor bail reform in spotlight as judicial elections loom". Community Impact. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Cumulative Results Report" (PDF). Harris County. November 19, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Texas Judge unexpected response to man's marijuana arrest - Upworthy". www.upworthy.com. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  15. ↑ F, Yasmeen (June 14, 2024). "'What's He Doing Wrong?': Headstrong Texas Judge Condemns Cops for Racial Profiling Black Man Arrested While Walking In a Park with Epic Response". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  16. ↑ Hardy, Jen (August 22, 2024). "Judge David Fleischer Interview, (Harris County Texas)". YouTube .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.