Meet Brittanye Morris from Houston and some of her law and justice achievements: A large part of Brittanye’s legal practice has included representing clients in courtrooms throughout the Houston area. It was during this representation that Brittanye witnessed some of the glaring issues with our legal system and the judges elected to represent our interests. Instead of being accessible to all and servants of the people, the courtrooms (and justice) seemed to favor individuals with connections and financial resources. Many litigants, especially hard-working individuals struggling to make ends meet, were often put in the unfair and unjust position of having to choose between access to justice and not missing work. These same litigants were talked down to and dismissed by the very judges they elected. Meanwhile, people that could afford attorneys were often provided more respect and seen by the judges first, many times without the person having to miss work to appear in court. Find more details at https://www.instagram.com/voteforbmorris/.
Brittanye’s decision to run for judge is guided by one main principle: justice for all. Our legal system, courtrooms, and judges are tools meant to ensure justice for all…not just the rich, or the connected, or those that can afford an attorney. Our judges, as administrators of the courtrooms and legal system, are there to ensure that each and every Harris County resident has an equal opportunity at justice. Residents should not have to choose between missing valuable work hours to care for their families, and sitting in a courtroom all day waiting for their name to be called. Our legal system and courtrooms should be fair, accessible, and, most importantly, transparent. Our judges should be fair and impartial. If Brittanye is fortunate enough to earn your vote, Brittanye promises that her courtroom will remain fair, accessible, and transparent for all litigants. As your judge, Brittanye promises to ensure that she and her courtroom will be fair to all, accessible to all, and transparent to all, with the ultimate goal of ensuring justice for all.
Native Houstonian Brittanye Morris has devoted her career to a variety of areas of law, concentrating on property law in and around the Houston area. Morris, a 29-year old woman of color and a rising force for common-sense government, recently won an uncontested race to become Harris County District Court Judge for the 333rd District in Houston, TX. At a time where citizens are demanding that politicians serve constituents’ interests at an unprecedented decibel, Morris’s election brings some harmony to an otherwise cacophonous fever pitch.
A driving spirit and fierce intellect carried Morris through the difficulty of paying her own way through law school, balancing a full course load against part-time shifts at the local post office. “It was just impossible,” she said emphatically. Fortunately, ‘impossible’ was only a feeling and not a fact. Morris graduated on time and continued to intern for the Bankruptcy Trustee’s Office while committing herself to studying for the grueling bar exam. “It wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination,” she said, “but I think it’s those trying times that really made me appreciate where I have gotten in life.”
For those looking to leave their own positive mark on history, Morris offered, “Be open. That’s the biggest advice I can give to anybody… It’s those opportunities, those possibilities and those twists and turns that get you where you ultimately need to be.” It’s how she managed to overcome every challenge she’s faced so far. It’s how she’ll successfully overcome those that still lie ahead.
Morris upholds an honest commitment to participating in the place she represents. Her professional ethos encouraged her to go grassroots, an approach which contributed to her monumental victory at the polls. “What people tend to forget so often is that it’s your community, your constituency, that gives you that seat,” she stated. “It is not yours. It belongs to the citizens and the community in which you serve.” Mobilizing her passion for community engagement and lived experience, Morris regularly attended town halls and civic club meetings across the county. She went to the neighborhood clubs and visited different religious organizations. “The courts are tools for the people to access justice. So in a true sense of that, then why not go into the community?” she asked.
“First and foremost, I want to create a judiciary that’s going to be open, accessible, and transparent,” Morris said. More tangibly, she’d like to pioneer teen court programs in local high schools, which allow students to foster their own peer-determined legal precedents. She’s interested in avenues that expand and nourish collective civic engagement. In order for sweeping change to take root, our government needs an infusion of authenticity in the form of real people resolved to enact meaningful, actionable change. Morris is less talk and more walk. She moves from a place of informed balance, equidistant from head and heart, but marrying the unique forces of both.