Kristin Guiney, a justice on Texas’ First Court of Appeals, has died.
Her death was confirmed Friday afternoon by the First Court of Appeals, which issued a statement on X. The cause of her death was not given.
“The First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals are very saddened to learn of Justice Kristin Guiney’s untimely passing,” the statement read. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to her entire family. Justice Guiney devoted her life to public service, first as a prosecutor, next as a trial court judge overseeing complex felony matters, and then as a Justice on the First Court of Appeals.”
The statement referenced Guiney’s service as a judge in the Success Through Addiction Recovery Drug Court, an intervention program for non-violent offenders with substance abuse disorders.
“Justice Guiney will be remembered for her fairness, tenacity, brilliant smile, and unwavering love of the law,” the court’s statement read. “We ask that the general public—and the media—respect her family’s privacy at this time.”
She previously presided over more than 120 jury trials in the 183rd, 232nd and 179th Criminal District Courts as a state judge in Harris County, according to the Texas Judicial Branch website.
Guiney, a Republican, was endorsed twice by the Chronicle’s editorial board: in 2018 for the 232nd Criminal District Court and in 2022 as a candidate for the 183rd Criminal District Court.
A graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, Guiney began her more than 20-year career as a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
She grew up in Friendswood and was a life-long resident of Harris County.
Guiney believed in a justice system led by “rule of law and fairness,” according to her campaign profile while running for Place 8 of the Texas First District Court of Appeals.
The Chronicle’s 2022 endorsement cited Guiney’s experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney, as well as her “know-how and compassion.”
Guiney put emphasis on maintaining efficient dockets to mitigate the case backlog and believed criminal defendants should have due process. She said she believed that misdemeanor bail reform had merit, but that it contributed to an increase in crime in Harris County.
She served a four-year term on the 179th District Court and lost in 2016. She was reappointed to the bench by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2018 but lost reelection in a Democratic sweep.
Guiney returned to private practice and dedicated much of her time overseeing Angela’s House, a nonprofit that provides services to women returning to society after incarceration.
As an attorney with County District Attorney’s office, Guiney prosecuted a broad range of crime, including the sexual assault of children, capital murders and DWIs, according her campaign profile.
Guiney had two daughters and was married to Houston attorney Ed McClees.