Income inequality, institutionalized racism, and all-consuming capitalism came under closer scrutiny than time had previously permitted. Now more than ever (a phrase which seems to be used now more than ever,) voters are energized to exercise their vocal civic duties.
Brittanye Morris is a politician who works for those people.
Morris is currently running unopposed to become the Democratic District Court Judge for Texas’s 333rd District. As governmental change has permeated the popular lexicon more intensely, citizens have become more aware of the crucial role local government plays in shaping the realities of daily life. In her seat, Morris will oversee civil cases — disputes between citizens and organizations, like foreclosures.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a “non-profit research organization that provides objective analysis of the challenges presented by the Texas civil justice system,” notes the difficulties of this system which its participants inherit. In The Texas Judicial System: Recommendations for Reform, the organization writes that district courts, “which are the trial courts of general jurisdiction, sit in a spider web of districts having overlapping geographic boundaries. Often a single county is in two or three district court districts, with each of those districts being comprised of a different group of counties. This knotty trial-court structure is arcane and inefficient, and it invites forum shopping.”
The organization continues, “Among the structure’s many failings is the inability to effectively handle complex civil cases, which require significant and specialized judicial resources. While the federal court system and the court systems in other major states have special courts or procedures to handle complex or specialized litigation, Texas does not. Consequently, complex litigation in Texas often is conducted in trial courts lacking the knowledge or resources to handle that litigation.”
Morris brings fresh eyes, grit, and a wealth of life experience to this complicated position. Her website states that she is a Houston native “born and raised in a middle class household.” Her mother was employed as an educator in the public school system, is father is a retired police lieutenant. As a child, Morris was very active, participating in everything from debate to girl scouts. “I grew up in a very diverse area,” Morris told me. She was was a conduit to this variety, diversifying her interests and activities to occupy every arena.
Morris earned her Bachelor’s in government history (fact check) from University of Houston, and then a juris doctorate from from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at the prestigious Texas Southern University. “I guess I gravitated to it because it made sense,” Morrise mused, contemplating her interest in the major. “There’s a certain continuity to history, like math. It gave you a sense of understanding about backgrounds and about the formation of things. Government segued nicely into that because so much of history is surrounding the government or governmental structures.”
Her driving spirit mixed with her intellect allowed her to overcome the adversities she faced in achieving her educational goals. Morris recalled, “I actually attempted to work during law school the first year, even though it's not recommended. I nearly failed out.” While she knew her parents wouldn’t let her fail, they pushed her to earn her achievements. Morris financed her own way through law school by working at local post office for five hours most evenings.
“I realized somewhere in there that I really did like to litigate,” she recalled of the grindstone era. She learned that she liked property law, and began interning at a community college’s in-house counsel's section. From there, she worked for a bankruptcy trustee.
“During this time, he didn't have an opening for another staff attorney,” Morris intimated. In need of funds for her post-grad life, Morris took a job at the local attorney general’s office, (fact check) a position which she likened to traffic court, but collecting property taxes. “I would have stayed there, but there was no room for upward mobility,” she said. “You’re not going to get the trial experience, or you're not going to get actual litigation experience.”
“Obviously, you're not the good guy in this situation,” she conceded of the role, though she did gain an intimate knowledge of how officials can help their communities. “You have the ability to inform people to go seek counsel, or you have the ability to allow them resets that may very well save the home their grandmothers or whomever worked for.”
“I really feel like representation matters, and certain voices have been marginalized,” Morris said. Having built her own career of her own accord, she possesses all the grit and effort that endeavor requires. A life like this generally proves adventurous, experience-rich. Morris believes her background lends a core competency to her legal expertise. Rather than choosing to immediately foreclose a home, she can instead allow defendants more opportunity to recover — more time to explore options and acquire attorneys.
“I’ve been through situations to where you're working the best you can, and for whatever reason, your ends don't meet,” Morris stated, referencing her experiences working through law school. One time, she returned to her apartment to find her internet turned off. Assessing her expenses, she decided she could comfortably pay the bill. The next night, she returned home to find her electricity shut off. “That’s a different perspective than someone who had a life where things were afforded to them. You can understand the struggle,” she said. Morris asserted that judges must rule solely based on the law, and “your personal biases or prejudices do not come in, but you never leave your experiences at the door.”
Morris waited for her opportune moment to make a move on the position. “You want to be the change you want to see, of course, but to not do that in a strategic way does a disservice,” she explained. This year felt ripe with its intense focus on politics. “In our community in particular, more and more people are wanting more representation,” she said.
The hopeful political upstart faced obstacles straight away, butting heads with rigid local political structures by opposing the incumbent, a fellow Democrat. “Running against an incumbent from your same party is never a popular choice,” she allowed, matter-of-factly. Cut off from their support, she added that “You’re not going to get support from large donors or large people, because effectively you're the underdog. Very few people are willing to bet on an underdog fresh out of the gate.”
Instead, she went grassroots, an approach which made more ideological sense to her anyways. “What people tend to forget so often is that it's your community, your constituency, that gives you that seat,” Morris remarked. “It is not yours. It belongs to the citizens and the community in which you serve.”
Morris began attending town halls and civic club meetings across the county. She went to the neighborhood clubs and visited different religious organizations. “The courts are tools for the people to access justice. So in a true sense of that, then why not go into the community?” she asked.
Some people might grow jaded from opposing an opponent so imposing as their own political party, but Morris confidently assured me that she emerged from the experience with her optimism and excitement for government intact. “You can be cynical and say, ‘government sucks.’ What practical purpose is that gonna serve?” she asked. “What I took out of it is, the community will rally and people will support.”
As communities strive to establish diverse representation in their democratic systems, Morris noted, “It isn’t limited to people of African descent… Diversity is just that: diverse. We should strive to have all kinds of people on there. Our county is very diverse, very populous, so there needs to be representation of all kinds on the bench.” She brings her own experience and goals into the equation. As a District Judge, Morris intends “to create a judiciary that's going to be open, accessible, and transparent.” She also has plans to work with high schools to host teen courts and encourage students to embrace their civic duties.
Though she’s overcome obstacles from financing to party opposition, no victory has been greater than the ones Morris can claim from her own internal battles. She noted that the academic difficulty of transitioning from undergraduate to law school inspired fears, at moments, about her own abilities. “It was a really eye opening experience to question myself, for the first time, in a real candid way. I had never had adversity when it came to learning, or adversity in school,” Morris explained. “I've learned that tomorrow will worry about itself. You just have to worry about today and hope you may get to tomorrow.”
After all the strife associated with law school, as she was working in her unfulfilling post-grad role and struggling to make ends meet, Morris was also studying for the dreaded bar exam. Then she learned that she was suffering from stage four kidney failure. “Now you're studying for this bar. It's a three day test. And you're just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what if I don't pass it?’” She recalled of her anxiety at the time. “I really had to compartmentalize everything and put all my effort into [the exam.]” Morris put the procedure off until after the bar, focusing everything she had on this final push. After passing the exam, she received her kidney transplant. “It wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination,” she said, “but I think it's those trying times that really made me appreciate where I have gotten in life.”
I wonder how history will look back on this era. Sure, we’ll all remember the presidential elections of this past generation. Some might even remember the subtler conflicts — characters like Condoleeza Rice and James Comey and Mitch McConnell. But increasingly, as engaged citizens adopt the pragmatic approach to change which Morris has instituted in her own life, society is shifting its focus to the foot soldiers — those who run government’s daily machinations. In order for sweeping change to take shape and take root, our government needs an infusion of authenticity in the form of real people wanting to make a tangible difference. Morris is less talk and more action. She moves from a place of informed balance, equidistant from head and heart, but marrying the unique fires of both. Applied to our present context, this is the way our government was truly intended to function.
Upon contemplating how history might remember her campaign and judgeship, Morris decided, “Only history can dictate that. When you think about like the Great's of our time, they weren't that at the time.” While she doesn't consider herself the equivalent to a Malcolm or a Martin, she did note, “It wasn't until long after them leaving this earth that they both became historical icons.” As always, she focuses her energy where it’s feasibly useful instead. “For me, it's very important just to live in a way that I'll be proud of and my children will be proud of.”
While her career has proved momentous in its completely individual way, Morris believes the type of success she now enjoys is accessible to anyone, provided they’re prepared for a non-linear route. “Be open,” she espoused. “That’s the biggest advice I can give to anybody. I think we get so set on where we want to go that we aren't open to any opportunities and possibilities. It’s those opportunities, those possibilities and those twists and turns, that get you where you ultimately need to be.” Morris’s own life has already taken her so far, and she hasn't even graduated from her twenties. She is a force to watch, a flame ready to multiply.
Brittanye Morris
