Fort Worth City Council members are considering naming a judge to fill a vacancy on the city’s municipal court and a second “substitute” judge.
The City Council at its Oct. 21 meeting will consider naming:
Joseph Henderson, now a Fort Worth pro tem or “substitute” judge, as a permanent judge.
Stewart Milner of Arlington as a pro tem judge, filling Henderson’s job.
Their terms would run until March 31, 2027.
The council’s Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, which comprises several council members, considered the posts at its Oct. 14 meeting.
The Fort Worth Municipal Court has nine funded judge positions. The vacancy occurred when Judge Robert N. McDonald retired on March 28.
Chief Judge Simon C. Gonzalez told the committee that the vacancy, combined with one current and one upcoming leave of absence, made it necessary to fill the permanent position “as soon as possible.” Gonzalez first brought the concern to the committee’s attention at its September meeting.
One judge is on leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, and another judge will begin leave in late October under FMLA.
There’s a need to “fill this (permanent) position as soon as possible,” Gonzalez told the council committee.
An interview panel selected Henderson, who has served as a pro tem or “substitute” Fort Worth municipal judge for eight years, as permanent judge and requested the council approve the appointment for a term through March 31, 2027.
The panel also selected Stewart Milner, who retired in April after 28 years as the chief judge of Arlington Municipal Court, to be a Fort Worth substitute judge through March 31, 2027.
Henderson would make $127,899.20 annually as a full-time judge. The substitute judge would make $60 per hour.
Lou Chapman is a member of the Fort Worth Report’s Documenters crew. Scott Nishimura provided reporting for this story.
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