Burnt Orange Report has endorsed Mindy Montford for the April 13 runoff. Early voting ends tomorrow. BOR had previously issued a dual endorsement in the March 2 primary.

There are few questions about Montford’s preparedness to serve Travis County. Raised in Austin and a graduate of UT-law, she has served as both a prosecutor and defense attorney for well over a decade in Travis County courts. Montford has practiced in front of every criminal district court in the county, including some of the toughest and most complex cases. She’s served as an Assistant District Attorney as well as in the Public Integrity Unit on the prosecution of Tom DeLay. She has won the respect of her peers, earning 60% of the Austin Bar Association poll among the original 4-way race.

As such, it’s no surprise that she’s being supported by a member of just about every level and type of government in Austin & Travis County- from Sen. Kirk Watson, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, City Councilman Mike Martinez, County Judge Sam Biscoe, County Attorney David Escamilla, County Commissioner Karen Huber, and Representative Dawnna Dukes as well as a host of former electeds in town. Her support is widespread across Austin’s various minority communities reflected in endorsements from groups or publications serving the city’s Hispanic, African American, Asian, and GLBT populations.

But what those endorsements don’t reflect is Montford’s deep compassion to deliver appropriate and rehabilitative justice that is in line with this communities standards- something which will serve her well in replacing Judge Baird on the 299th District Court. Montford’s positive nature is reflected in her positive campaign with a certain brightness in both intellect and deliberation that we look forward to seeing at the courthouse.

Read the full endorsement here.

Early voting runs Monday, April 5 to Friday, April 9.

Use this map (created by Burnt Orange Report’s Karl-Thomas Musselman) to find the most convenient location for you:

View 2010 Travis County Democratic Runoff Early Vote Sites in a larger map

On Thursday, Mindy Montford added some big names to her already impressive list of supporters. Karl-Thomas Musselman of Burnt Orange Report covered the press conference:

With about a month left to go until the April 13th runoff election for the Democratic nomination for the 299th District Court race, Mindy Montford announced new support yesterday at a runoff kickoff fundraiser.

Having already raised $25,000 in the week since the March 2nd primary where she led 2nd place finisher Karen Sage 45% to 37%, Montford announced the support of 3rd place finisher Leonard Martinez who had received about 13% of the vote.

Montford also picked up the endorsement of the Mexican American Democrats of Austin, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, County Attorney David Escamilla, County Judge Sam Biscoe, Education Austin President Louis Malfaro, Community Activist Nelson Linder, and the Travis County Sheriff’s Corrections Officers- all new since March 2nd. At the event she announced the addition of GNI Strategies to her consulting team. In attendance yesterday (but not necessarily endorsing) were Judge Elizabeth Earle and judicial nominees Cliff Brown and John Lipscombe.

I am writing to address the February 28 PolitiFact story regarding an error on one of our campaign mailers. The focus of the article was on the inadvertent wording in a mailer that stated I had tried over 100 jury trials in Travis County when, in fact, these trials occurred in both Harris and Travis County. I immediately apologized for this oversight and any confusion it may have caused, however, I do want to set the record straight for the readers. My television commercial and website correctly state I have handled thousands of cases in Travis County and tried over 100 jury trials. The reporter was able to verify a minimum of 98 jury trials and he acknowledged that available records are incomplete. I believe in full disclosure and appreciate the opportunity to give readers all the facts so they may make an informed decision at the polls.

Mindy Montford

The Austin American-Statesman has endorsed Mindy Montford. An excerpt from the endorsement:

The other district court races are a little easier to parse. In the 299th District, Mindy Montford, 39, and Karen Sage, 44, are the standouts among the four candidates. Attorneys Leonard Martinez, 52, and Eve Schatelowitz Alcantar, 38, are the other candidates.

You might recall Montford’s unsuccessful race for district attorney and a high profile run-in with the law that resulted in charges being dismissed. While Sage is extremely impressive, she is a relative newcomer.

Montford handled her loss gracefully and learned from it. And the encounter with police — she was arrested near Sixth Street in June and charged with public intoxication — gives her an experience with law enforcement your average district judge doesn’t usually have. We say go with her.

Mindy Montford received 52 percent, more than ten percentage points ahead of her nearest competition, in the Burnt Orange Report Readers’ Poll.

Montford also was endorsed by Burnt Orange Report as part of a dual endorsement. From the endorsement:

Why You Should Vote For Mindy Montford

Montford worked as Assistant District Attorney for nine years under Ronnie Earle. She worked on the Public Integrity Unit that investigated and ultimately indicted Tom Delay. She also has extensive experience handling cases that would come before the court here in Austin — which, as her supporters argue, gives her a terrific read/feel for what our community expects when it comes to balancing justice and fairness in trials. Montford can credibly say she has grown up among us, learned among us, and now is ready to give back to the community she’s worked in and served in for years.

Montford’s support in the Austin Bar Poll is another sign of her strength — earning 60% in a field of four is an incredible feat. A quick straw poll among the staff confirmed that none of us would get a 60% approval rating from each other. Montford is clearly a leader among her peers, and that level of respect is an important barometer for how Montford develops trust in relationships with colleagues. If you want to decide your vote based on what the people who know the work of the 299th District Court think, then a vote for Montford is for you.

The Austin American-Statesman covered Mindy Montford’s recent overwhelming victory in the Austin Bar Association poll. Montford received more than twice as many votes as her nearest competition.

From the Statesman article:

Lawyers who voted in an Austin Bar Association poll released Monday favor Amy Clark Meachum, a civil lawyer, over Judge Jan Patterson, and they favor criminal defense lawyer Mindy Montford over prosecutor Karen Sage and two others in separate District Court races. Both are among the contested Travis County judicial elections on the March 2 party primary ballot.

The Austin Bar Association poll drew responses from 946 lawyers who voted online and by paper ballot from February 1 through February 12 in the local contested judicial elections. Not every poll respondent voted in all of the races. A pdf file with the complete poll results is here: 2010 Judicial Preference Poll Final Results.pdf

…

Montford, 39, and Sage, 44, are running along with criminal defense lawyers Leonard Martinez, 62, and Eve Schatelowitz Alcantar, 38, in the Democratic primary for the 299th District Court. Judge Charlie Baird is not running for re-election to the felony criminal court.

In the bar association poll, 60%, or 433 of the lawyers who voted in that race favored Montford. Sage was favored by 209 lawyers, or 29% of poll respondents. Martinez drew 65 votes and Schatelowitz Alcantar drew 14.

The entire Statesman article can be read here.

(Austin, TX) – Less than a week after Mindy Montford announced plans to run for judge of the 299th District Court, the AFL-CIO, Austin Central Labor Council and the Travis County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Association (TCSLEA) have endorsed Montford for judge.

Montford, a Democrat, is a former felony prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney. She says she is honored to receive the groups’ endorsements. “The AFL-CIO (Austin Central Labor Council) and TCSLEA represent key members of our community from city and county employees to teachers, firefighters, and other union members, and I’m grateful to have their support,” says Montford.

“Ms. Montford is an extremely bright and tough individual with experience critical for sitting on the bench in the 299th District Court,” says Brett Spicer of the Travis County Sheriff’s Law Enforcement Association. “No doubt, Montford is the best candidate for Travis County in this race,” he added.

Austin Central Labor Council President David Adamson says Montford received his group’s endorsement because of her track record in the community. “Ms. Montford has lived in this area most of her life. She has worked on issues critical to this community and will bring a fair and honest perspective to the bench,” he says.

Montford, a graduate of the University of Texas and the University Of Texas School Of Law, has worked in the Public Integrity Unit, the Family Justice Division and the Trial Court Division of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. She has also served as Adjunct Professor at the University Of Texas School Of Law.

Montford is running for the seat vacated by retiring Judge Charlie Baird. Early voting for the March 2nd primary begins February 16.

From KEYE-TV (December 1, 2009):

A prominent Austin attorney may be in the running for a seat soon to be vacated in the 299th District Court by Judge Charlie Baird.

Kathy Conley, a spokesperson for Mindy Montford says Judge Baird will not seek re-election next year.

KEYE TV asked Montford about her plans, she says, “I’m strongly considering this race. [I] have been practicing criminal law on both sides of the aisle in Travis County for over a decade. Serving the community as a district judge would be a true honor.”

Montford tells KEYE TV she hopes to make a decision by next week on whether she will run for the position.