It may have been the most surprising upset on election night: Amber Givens defeated two-term incumbent Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot in the Democratic primary. 

With no Republican opponent on the ballot, she is expected to become the first Black female elected to the office.  

Givens overcame controversy about the way she ran her courtroom. Now, she opens up about that and reveals how she will run the DA’s office in this exclusive interview with CBS News Texas.

“First, I just have to give all glory to God,” said Givens. “This is not something that I did.”

Two days after the political upset no one saw coming, Givens chose her Dallas church to make her first public comments about her stunning election night victory. 

“The reason why it was important for me to meet here at my church home is because every time God told me I would want to run for office, I was sitting in that sanctuary,” she said. 

The former judge is on her way to be the next district attorney in Dallas County since there’s no Republican opponent in November. She says she beat two-term incumbent Creuzot by engaging personally with constituents. 

“I wanted to have the conversations,” Givens said. “You know, I didn’t send out mailers. I wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with the people and find out what they needed, what they thought was lacking in the system.”

What Givens says the justice system was lacking was a better intake system where law-enforcement officers can work with prosecutors at the earliest stages of a case to promote efficiency and fairness.

“Having a robust intake department is going to address a lot of those issues with people sitting in jail that should have never been arrested,” said Givens. “Or victims waiting on justice for months on end.”

J.D. MILES: We live in a county where it seems a number of people feel like the justice system here is just a revolving door for criminals. What do you have to say about that? 

AMBER GIVENS: A lot of people thought throughout this race that either being soft on crime or, you know, feeling like people that are accused deserve justice, are opposite. They’re actually not.

Givens resigned as a district court judge last year to run for office a few months after she was sanctioned by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct over a complaint that she had her court coordinator pretend to be her during a 2021 Zoom meeting with lawyers. 

It’s a charge that Givens vehemently denies and has appealed. 

JD MILES: During your time on the bench, as we all know, you had some attorneys who publicly criticized the way you ran your courtroom. What do you have to say to them now that you are the top law enforcement officer in Dallas County? 

AMBER GIVENS: Well, it’s simple, JD, I was never reversed in 11 years. You want to know why? Because, regardless of how you feel about my policies, it’s never been about personalities. For me. It’s always been about the law and the facts.

Amber Givens

CBS News Texas

Givens also sued the county last year over a salary dispute, but insists she can work with county commissioners who publicly endorsed her opponent. She says she doesn’t pay attention to her critics. What Givens wants the public to see is an incoming district attorney raised by a single mother in St. Louis who instilled values that Givens carries with her to this day. 

“Here I am. I survived spinal meningitis at six months; I could not afford to go to law school,” said Givens. “My mom got that second mortgage on her house.” 

“My mother would make me read five chapters beyond the 10 pages because she said, ‘It’s not good enough to just do the assignments,” she continued. “‘You must be better. Your challenge is always you.'”

Her mother, Elaine, died last year before she could see her daughter celebrate winning the Democratic primary to become the first Black female elected as Dallas County District Attorney. 

“My mom was right there with me, cheering me on and reminding me that these sacrifices were not in vain, that her work lives on in me.”

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