Kristin Guiney, a justice on Texas’ First Court of Appeals, has died.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“The First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals are very saddened to learn of Justice Kristin Guiney\u2019s untimely passing,” the statement read. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to her entire family. Justice\u00a0Guiney 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.”<\/p>\n
The statement referenced Guiney’s service as a judge in the\u00a0Success Through Addiction Recovery Drug Court, an intervention program for non-violent offenders with substance abuse disorders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“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\u2014and the media\u2014respect her family\u2019s privacy at this time.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0Texas Judicial Branch<\/a> website.<\/p>\n Guiney, a Republican,\u00a0was endorsed twice by the Chronicle\u2019s editorial board: in 2018<\/a> for the 232nd Criminal District Court and in 2022<\/a> as a candidate for the 183rd Criminal District Court.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n She grew up in\u00a0Friendswood and was a life-long resident of Harris County.<\/p>\n Guiney believed in a justice system led by \u201crule of law and fairness,\u201d according to her campaign profile<\/a> while running for Place 8 of the Texas First District Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n The Chronicle\u2019s 2022 endorsement cited\u00a0Guiney\u2019s experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney, as well as her “know-how and compassion.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n She served a four-year term on the 179th District Court and lost\u00a0in 2016. She was reappointed\u00a0to the bench by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2018 but lost reelection in a Democratic sweep.<\/p>\n Guiney returned to private practice and dedicated much of her time overseeing Angela\u2019s House<\/a>, a nonprofit that provides services to women returning to society after incarceration.<\/p>\n