Role Of Judge Justice In Texas

William Wayne Justice, he was a formidable judge that sat on the federal bench in the state of Texas. He brought forth change throughout his years as a judge and some of those changes would be major reform decisions that will change the systems in Texas. He was a judge that made decisions that influenced changes and it was noticed not only in Texas, but throughout the United States. Judge Justice was involved in many controversial cases and reforms that gained attention all over. Not only the cases were controversial, but his decisions were ones that got people talking about him. Even though some people would disagree with his decisions, Justice did what he felt was right and what was the best intention for the people. In Texas there are …show more content…
He believed the people should have their right to express their opinion through voting because the United States is a democracy and people need to have their vote count. Voter discrimination (gerrymandering) was something he intervened in. For example in the case of, Graves v. Barnes, which was a state legislative reapportionment. This case was about the apportionment of the senatorial districts in Harris County and it was due to racial discrimination. During the trial the plaintiffs gave materials which included reapportionment plans which would be useful for the judges that were on the case. Judge Justice (along with the other judges) found that The Legislative Redistricting Board did not take redistricting seriously, but instead they did what they wanted. Another issue that was brought up in the case was the multimember districts in Dallas and Bexar. Representatives in these districts are elected but minorities seem to be underrepresented. The Legislative Redistricting Board had the lines drawn so there could be political success. The decision that was made brought controversy so this case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court (White v. Regester) in which they agreed with the court’s decision. The case of Graves v. Barnes got rid of multimember districts. This allowed for African Americans and Mexican-American citizens the proper right to contribute to the elections and even hold …show more content…
When he became an attorney he did not really think anything of prisoner’s rights. This started to change when prisoner’s petitions started to be filed in his court. The petitions were about how inmate civil rights were being violated. After the hearings of several inmates claiming that they were being mistreated, Judge Justice began to worry. At this point Judge Justice believed in the basic rights for prisoners. One of the inmates that filed a petition was David Ruiz and he wrote that they were being kept in an unconstitutional conditions and the cells, being harassed by TDC officials, insufficient medical care, and unlawful solitary confinement. In 1974 this petition along with several other ones became a class action suit and it is known as Ruiz v. Estelle. As the prisons were being investigated, Judge Justice allowed the Justice Department to be included. Judge Justice knew he needed to use his powers as a judge to make changes in the TDC and get the truth about the conditions in the jails and prisons. Judge Justice helped established this major case that would soon become one of the most prominent cases about incarceration. This case was influential case for Judge Justice due to its major impact. Judge Justice used his powers so he can bring change and for him this case was successful