The Judicial Section of the Texas Bar Association recognized Yetter Coleman’s Paul Yetter, for his work as Chair of the Alliance for Judicial Funding, with its 2018 Friend of the Judiciary Award at the Annual Judicial Conference held on September 5 in Houston.
The award, which recognizes significant contribution to the Judiciary, was accepted by Paul on behalf of past and current directors of the Alliance.
“We believe we have the best state judiciary in the country – with judges who hear trials and appeals of the most pressing disputes anywhere, bar none,” said Yetter in his acceptance remarks to several hundred state judges. “Alliance directors are, in this respect, utterly nonpartisan. Better judicial salaries should not be optional, nor should they be an issue of politics. Without proper funding, this third co-equal branch of our government – indeed, the most respected branch of our government in these turbulent times – cannot remain truly independent. We know that the judiciary is, to quote a famous Broadway star, Alexander Hamilton, in ‘continual jeopardy of being overpowered, awed or influenced by its co-ordinate branches.’ That should never happen in Texas.”
The Alliance for Judicial Funding is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that for 30 years has been dedicated to promoting the interests of the Texas Judiciary. Its sole purpose is to help achieve the funding objectives in the legislative agenda adopted by the Judicial Section each session. Its efforts have included supporting efforts to increase judicial salaries, to provide courts with modern equipment and technology, and to ensure necessary staff support for state judges.
Along with Yetter, its current directors are David Beck and Ferguson McNiel from Houston; Craig Cherry from Waco; Tracey Davies, Richard Krumholz, Anne Johnson, Rod Phelan, Mike Powell, and Cole Ramey from Dallas; Jennifer Doan from Texarkana; Harper Estes from Midland; Eric Findlay from Tyler; Randy Howry and Shannon Ratliff from Austin; David Keltner from Fort Worth; and J.D. Pauerstein from San Antonio.