Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal applauded the recent appointment of Patty Maginnis as judge of the 435th State District Court and said he was pleased the court can begin its work to help handle caseloads that have been building since the resignation of former Judge Mike Seiler.
The bench has been vacant since Feb. 16 when former Judge Mike Seiler announced
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Patty Maginnis |
his resignation after suspending his re-election campaign. The court primarily has been hearing criminal cases since the state Legislature stripped it of its original responsibilities of handling the civil commitment of all sexually violent predators across the state. The court was created in 2008, and legislators made the change in 2015. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the appointment Wednesday, April 6.
"We have been hearing from our judges that an appointment sooner, rather than later, was necessary in order to help deal with the overall caseload in our district courts," Judge Doyal said.
"I appreciate that Gov. Greg Abbott recognized that need, and moved swiftly to make the appointment. Patty Maginnis is a highly competent attorney and great member of this community who will make an excellent judge."
Gov. Abbott appointed Maginnis for a term set to expire at the next general election in November 2016. She is expected to be sworn in and take office in a matter of days.
Patty Maginnis is a partner at Maginnis, Pullan & Young and previously served as an assistant district attorney for Montgomery County. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Montgomery County Bar Association and Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
She is a board member of a parent teacher organization in the Conroe Independent School District. Maginnis received a Bachelor of Arts from Brenau Women's College and a Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law.
