Brittanye Morris or the ascent of a competent judge in Houston: Because of the hard work and discipline instilled by her parents, Brittanye graduated high school in three years, while being an active cheerleader and debate team member. She then attended the University of Houston, where she graduated with honors with a degree in Political Science. Drawing on her debate experiences and Political Science background, Brittanye decided that she wanted to use her talents to advocate for Houston residents as an attorney. Brittanye elected to attend a law school with a history of training community advocates and some of the best lawyers and judges in Houston (and the country), the prestigious Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. While at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Brittanye had the honor and privilege of representing the law school as a member of its world-renowned mock trial program. See additional info at Brittanye Morris Attorney.
Brittanye’s decision to run for judge is guided by one main principle: justice for all. Our legal system, courtrooms, and judges are tools meant to ensure justice for all…not just the rich, or the connected, or those that can afford an attorney. Our judges, as administrators of the courtrooms and legal system, are there to ensure that each and every Harris County resident has an equal opportunity at justice. Residents should not have to choose between missing valuable work hours to care for their families, and sitting in a courtroom all day waiting for their name to be called. Our legal system and courtrooms should be fair, accessible, and, most importantly, transparent. Our judges should be fair and impartial. If Brittanye is fortunate enough to earn your vote, Brittanye promises that her courtroom will remain fair, accessible, and transparent for all litigants. As your judge, Brittanye promises to ensure that she and her courtroom will be fair to all, accessible to all, and transparent to all, with the ultimate goal of ensuring justice for all.
Native Houstonian Brittanye Morris has devoted her career to a variety of areas of law, concentrating on property law in and around the Houston area. Morris, a 29-year old woman of color and a rising force for common-sense government, recently won an uncontested race to become Harris County District Court Judge for the 333rd District in Houston, TX. At a time where citizens are demanding that politicians serve constituents’ interests at an unprecedented decibel, Morris’s election brings some harmony to an otherwise cacophonous fever pitch.
A driving spirit and fierce intellect carried Morris through the difficulty of paying her own way through law school, balancing a full course load against part-time shifts at the local post office. “It was just impossible,” she said emphatically. Fortunately, ‘impossible’ was only a feeling and not a fact. Morris graduated on time and continued to intern for the Bankruptcy Trustee’s Office while committing herself to studying for the grueling bar exam. “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.”
For those looking to leave their own positive mark on history, Morris offered, “Be open. That’s the biggest advice I can give to anybody… It’s those opportunities, those possibilities and those twists and turns that get you where you ultimately need to be.” It’s how she managed to overcome every challenge she’s faced so far. It’s how she’ll successfully overcome those that still lie ahead.
Morris upholds an honest commitment to participating in the place she represents. Her professional ethos encouraged her to go grassroots, an approach which contributed to her monumental victory at the polls. “What people tend to forget so often is that it’s your community, your constituency, that gives you that seat,” she stated. “It is not yours. It belongs to the citizens and the community in which you serve.” Mobilizing her passion for community engagement and lived experience, Morris regularly attended 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.
“First and foremost, I want to create a judiciary that’s going to be open, accessible, and transparent,” Morris said. More tangibly, she’d like to pioneer teen court programs in local high schools, which allow students to foster their own peer-determined legal precedents. She’s interested in avenues that expand and nourish collective civic engagement. In order for sweeping change to take root, our government needs an infusion of authenticity in the form of real people resolved to enact meaningful, actionable change. Morris is less talk and more walk. She moves from a place of informed balance, equidistant from head and heart, but marrying the unique forces of both.
