Judge Don Pierson - Pro Se Litigant THREATENED by RACIST TEXAS JUDGE before court and pushed to drop case. No Justice For Racial Minorities in Fort Worth Texas Courts

I had the weirdest experience of my life representing myself as a pro se litigant in an appeal against my Landlord in Tarrant County Court of Law #1. These Fort Worth courts are absolutely terrible. They show clear biases for landlords and the wealthy and privileged. They are outright hostile to racial minorities and the poor. You can buy justice in many parts of Texas, especially in Fort Worth. Recently a case involving a young, wealthy white teenager named Ethan Couch made Headline news all over this country and actually all over the world too because he was able to walk away from court after killing four people and critically injuring others because he was "rich". He suffered from "affluenza". This shocked people but I want to say these types of rulings are made in court rooms across Texas and across Fort Worth every single day. These courts are stocked with "Ultra" republican judges who simply believe that those without money and without attorneys should not be afforded "Equal Consideration" under the law.

Judge Don Pierson
Tarrant County Court of Law 1

Now Back to Judge Don Pierson. I have never seen a judge behave as he behaved. First off, he acted like he had a familiarity with the Attorney who was representing the Landlord. That is not surprising as others around the court knew the attorney personally as it is a very small court. But the judge should have at least tried to remain impartial. I had been approved for a Jury Trial which the attorney argued against and which the Judge immediately agreed with the attorney. Even before the judge had ruled on the Jury Trial, while the Court reporter was out the room and before trial he quizzed the attorney and I about our case. I was not allowed to really speak and it seemed he already had his mind made up. How is that fair? When I had to remind the judge about the jury he immediately denied the request even though I had paid the jury fee and been approved and been given the jury names and information. All because the attorney asked him not to approve it. I heard the attorney ask him to waive it while the attorney was at his desk. 

The judge became angry that I continued to press for a Trial after he had essentially told me that he "agreed" with the attorney on all the issues. He then threw up his hands and angrily yelled for the court reporter to come into the room. As soon as the trial started it was over. The judge who was very casual leaned back in his chair several times and would flick his hand toward the attorney and say "oh yeah, i agree with the attorney". His behavior was not professional at all. When I mentioned during one point that I had spoken with an attorney he suddenly bellowed "WELL WERE ON EARTH IS HE?!!!". The judge seemed to have a clear disdain that I was representing myself and challenging the landlord. Then as I mentioned before the court reporter was called into the court room the judge had already essentially ruled on both the validity of the notice and refused to hear my concerns about other issues I had with the landlord that were crucial to my case in disputing the validity of the notice. On every single issue the judge would ask me very pointed questions and say the answer is "yes or no" yet the other sides's attorney was allowed to expound on his issues. Again, how is "that" fair? I honestly think the judge just wanted me to drop everything and walk away because before the trial even started he had told me in about 10 minutes time he "agreed with the attorney" on basically every point and he would then look at me. Why would he do that? Was I suppose to get up and walk out? And why would he become so angry I still demanded a trial? When I asked a question about one of his rulings he bellowed again at me "I"M NOT YOUR ATTORNEY!!!". It was a question on his ruling. It was after all "his" ruling.

Aren't BOTH sides of an argument within the court suppose to be given "Equal Consideration"? That did not happen. This is the SECOND time this has occurred out here in Fort Worth. In the Justice of the Peace court who preceded the trial court because I was not represented I was not afforded the opportunity to speak. The judge asked three questions of everyone and refused to get into the legalities of the notice. She immediately ruled for the landlord after I told her the notice did not meet the requirements of the statute and looked at me and said "If you have a problem with the way I've ruled you can appeal". Judges have to address arguments and afford the respondents a "fair hearing" and a "right to be HEARD". 

For some reason if you are poor and black in Fort Worth and especially if you are unrepresented the judges do not do this. The thing is these guys are so ideological and so republican and probably racist too that they can't stand when a poor minority challenges power. It goes against their world view. This is the only answer I can come to when I consider how I have been treated in the courts out here. These were all old, white, republican judges who were born and raised in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is very racially divided with the blacks living on one side and the whites living on the other. White people out here have ALL the power and ALL the economic wealth. Black people are for the most part living in poverty. I have worked on jobs where I have more experience than the young white girls sitting up in the office yet the companies only felt the need to offer me and other minorities like me the most minimal positions with the lowest pay. It doesn't matter about your "experience". This is why many blacks out here either work for the Government or commute into Dallas everyday to work. So yes.. I do believe the way I was treated was racial. Very racial. 

The landlord lied. Committed fraud. The company is owned by a husband and wife team and the people who work in the office all live there and there is some relation to many of them. They cover for one another. I was up against a wall as it was my word against theirs. The courts out here serve only as a rubber stamp to this kind of abuse.

I understand that in a court proceeding there will be winners and losers. That is understandable and that is how our court systems work. However, what I can not understand is a judge clearly being so partisan and so partial. I can not understand how a judge can do the job of a defense attorney or a plaintiff attorney FOR THEM. That is SHAMEFUL. That is not justice. 

It hasn't only been my experience with the courts out here in Fort Worth but I've spoken to several other poor minorities who have stated they had the same exact experience. With judges violating their due process rights and working outside of established court procedure. One woman I spoke to stated she had a jury trial scheduled in court against a police officer on a traffic violation and the judge circumvented court room procedure and PICKED HER JURORS!!! and he picked ALL POLICE OFFICERS!! Of course she lost the case as anyone would guess because she was up against another police officer.

Not only that, the judge at one point during the trial referred all of his questions and answers to the attorney and let the attorney basically have the floor for the majority of the trial and I had to remind the judge that I was sitting there. 

Right before the trial the other sides attorney called me into the Exhibit room to discuss the exhibits and he quizzed me on what I was going to say. It was my first time in a court setting and I answered his questions and he immediately walked out and called his client and together they formulated rebuttals to all of my arguments. How is this ethical?

Last, the judge, who had already decided the case from his behavior and how he spoke to me, looked over at me and smirked. yes the judge SMIRKED!!! It was a clear smirk which is a sideways "grin" and said "now what do you have to say?". He sat back in his seat and kept grinning at me and this made my skin crawl. This guy in my opinion is SADISTIC. A sociopath and I'm not sure why Texans like electing these kinds of folks to the bench. By that time I was so disgusted I simply walked out of his court. I told him I would appeal. The judge did not make any effort to be impartial. He was clearly partial and was clearly biased in favor of the attorney who had stood before him many times. It was laughable. It was a joke. I was so shocked by the entire proceedings from being threatened before trial to how the judge acted during trial I literally could not speak and it was no use of me staying in there so I got up and walked out. I simply excused myself from the court. I will appeal. It seems like the more you appeal the more you get heard on every higher level. It shouldn't be that way but that's the way it is.

I honestly think an investigation needs to be done into the way these judges operate out here. Judge Don Pierson brags on his website that his court has good "fiscal" discipline and barely uses any of its allotted budget. I looked a little bit into this and I found the JURIES cost courts MONEY. TRIALS cost courts MONEY. So honestly the judge and the court have a reason to illegally DENY juries and trials when they can. I honestly think that is what the judge was attempting to do by quickly before the trial even started agreeing with the attorney on all points and looking at me afterwards as if to figure out if I would buy his bullshit. Again, this was BEFORE TRIAL and this is not recorded by the court reporter because the court reporter was not in the room at the time. His THREAT was before the court reporter also.

Lawyer shopping this time around.