Sen. John Cornyn met with law enforcement, prosecutors and judges Tuesday at the UNT Dallas College of Law to talk about a bill that has passed the U.S. Senate. Cornyn worked with another Republican and two Democrats on the "Countering Threats and Attacks on our Judges Act."
"What this has done is shine a bright light on the challenges that confront our judges, our prosecutors and the people who work at the courthouse," Cornyn says.
Among those attending the roundtable was Julie Kocurek and her son. In 2015, Kocurek, a state district court judge, was shot outside her home by someone who had previously been found guilty in her court in a tax refund scam.
"Obviously, there are a lot of threats these days, not just directed to judges and prosecutors but also to other people in the public eye," Cornyn says. "Unfortunately, unstable individuals or people who have a grudge or axe to grind sometimes act out."
The bill would provide technical help to state and local judges on security. The measure would also provide security assessments of courthouses, homes and offices of judges and lawyers.
The bill would also conduct research into "best practices" around judicial security.
"Texas is a big state. We've got 3,200 judges," says Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht. "Even though we're trying to do as much as we can with the resources we have, this will provide national training."
Hecht says the measure would give counties a chance to compare work and give smaller counties, which may still face threats, a chance to improve security.
"This would help get the word out to far-flung counties of Texas who need this awareness as much as Dallas or Houston where they have bigger sheriff's departments," he says.
The measure passed the U.S. Senate unanimously earlier this month and has now moved to the House.