TCGOP

Judge Bonnie Sudderth, 352nd District Court

Judge Bonnie Sudderth is the former Chief Judge of the Fort Worth Municipal Courts, was first elected to the 352nd District Court bench in the March 1996 Republican primary.  Since the bench was vacant at the time of her primary election, Texas Governor George W. Bush appointed her to fill the vacancy for the remainder of 1996. She has continuously served since that time.

Judge Sudderth has more than 21 years of combined judicial experience, and she is the longest serving judge in the history of the 352nd District Court.

Judge Sudderth was also the first Republican woman to serve as a civil district judge inTarrantCounty.

In 2000, Judge Sudderth was elected President of the American Judges Association, and from 2010-2011 she served as President of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court in Fort Worth.  Judge Sudderth also serves on the Court Rules Committee of the State Bar of Texas. In 2010, her peers – the district judges of TarrantCounty – elected her to  serve as the Chair of the Tarrant County Juvenile Board.

Judge Sudderth also takes time from her duties as a judge to serve as a mentor to young lawyers. In 2008, Judge Sudderth was awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award by the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association. That same year, she went
on to win the statewide award, receiving the Texas Outstanding Mentor Award by the 24,000 member-strong Texas Young
Lawyers Association.

Judge Sudderth is a legal scholar and teacher. For the past 12 years, she has served as an Adjunct Law Professor at the Texas Wesleyan School of Law, where Judge Sudderth teaches Texas Trials & Appeals in the evenings to upper level law students. She also volunteers as a judge for Mock Trial and Moot Court intramural competitions. In 2011, she also taught a one-week intensive practicum on civil motion practice which she has been asked to teach again in 2012. Judge Sudderth has received the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award for hers ervice.

Judge Sudderth is well-known for her high ethical standards and her expectation that lawyers who appear before her exhibit the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. In the 1990s, Judge Sudderth served as a Commissioner on the state Judicial Conduct Commission, which is the disciplinary agency for all judges throughout Texas. She is a frequent lecturer on legal and judicial ethics and other topics related to the practice of law. She is an avid blogger on legal topics as well.

Judge Sudderth is an award-winning writer, having received the “Outstanding Series of  Articles” award by the State Bar of Texas on two separate occasions. She has contributed more than 30 articles to the Tarrant County Bar Bulletin from 2005 to 2008 on topics related to the Texas Rules of Evidence. “Five Adages for Advocates,” a series of five articles that Judge Sudderth authored for young lawyers on professionalism and the law appeared on the Texas Wesleyan Law School Board of Trial Advocates website in 2008. Judge Sudderth’s articles also appear in the In Chambers magazine, Court Review magazine and the Municipal Court Recorder.

Judge Sudderth devotes her free time to volunteering for youth activities.  For the past several years, she has participated as a debate judge for various National Christian Forensics and Communications Clubs qualifier tournaments in the Metroplex area.  Judge
Sudderth served on the Fort Worth Teen Court Advisory Board for six years, and for ten years, she participated in the Cinderella Project, a career awareness program for adolescent girls in Tarrant County. Judge Sudderth has also coached and refereed for girls’ youth soccer teams.

Judge Sudderth is an outspoken advocate for the right of Texas citizens to elect the judges who serve them.  She has spoken frequently on the topic to Republican clubs and to the Tarrant County Republican Executive Committee.  In addition, she has also written two articles on the subject, one of which first appeared in the State Republican Executive Committee District 10 Newsletter and was later reprinted on the Tarrant County Republican Party website.

To find out more about Judge Bonnie Sudderth, visit her website at: www.judgebonnie.com.