Republican candidates for Tarrant County’s Criminal District Court 2 judge in March 5 primary
William Knight
Age (as of March, 5 2024) 38
Campaign website knightforjudge.com
Best way for voters to reach you williamknightforjudge@gmail.com
Occupation Prosecutor
Education
St. Mary’s JD/MBA 2012 with Honors, SMU BBA 2008, All Saints’ Episcopal School 2004
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought, with years)
Yes, I ran for the 371st District Court in 2022.
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism
Served as a Republican Election Judge 2021/2022/2023
Served on the rules committee for SD9 for the state convention 2022
Convention delegate for SD9- Texas Republican Convention in Houston, Texas 2022
The Federalist Society Chapter President, St. Mary’s Law School (2010-2011)
The Federalist Society Chapter Vice-President, St Mary’s Law School (2009-2010)
The Federalist Society, Member (2009 to present)
Fort Worth All Saints’ Board of Trustees (2021 to present)
Fort Worth All Saints’ Alumni Association President (2021 to 2023)
Fort Worth All Saints’ Alumni Association President-Elect (2020-2021)
Fort Worth All Saints’ Alumni Association Member (2014 to present)
Sons of the American Revolution
Lions Club International
Homeowner Association, Board Member
State Bar of Texas
State Bar of Minnesota
District of Columbia Bar Association
Texas Bar Foundation Fellow
Tarrant County Bar Association Fellow
Texas District and County Attorneys Association
Phi Delta Phi, Legal Honors Fraternity
Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? If yes, please explain: No.
Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? If yes, please explain: No.
Who are your top three campaign contributors? Rusty Reid, Stephen Gilchrist and Pamela Gilchrist.
Why are you seeking this office?
The reason I have always wanted to be a judge is because of something that happened to my dad in court in the 1980’s. My dad was a prosecutor in the 70’s, 80’s and from 2003 to 2012 when he died. As my dad walked by a man in court the man said, “Tell William and Marion I said hi.” This was intended to be a threat and my dad took it as such. For someone to know my name and my mom’s name before the internet took a lot of effort, and it terrified my dad. All Saints’ did not have a security fence until I was in the fifth grade and my dad was concerned that someone would walk onto campus and snatch me from school. As a result, I was never allowed to go anywhere by myself. My teachers explained it by saying that William gets to have a friend wherever he goes. Once the security fence went up, I was free to go anywhere on campus by myself and I asked my dad why we had that rule. My dad told me what happened, and I can still remember how angry it made me that someone threatened my family. I asked my dad what happened with the situation, and he explained it by saying, “The judge kept us safe.” Ever since then I have wanted to be a judge to help keep people safe. No other candidate understands the role a judge plays in the safety of the community like I do. I will think about this while making decisions in the management of my court.
What are the biggest challenges facing Criminal Court 2?
The biggest challenge facing CDC2 is the huge number of pending cases. CDC2 has the worst numbers in the courthouse by a country mile. Defendants and victims deserve to have a trial in a timely manner, and I plan to get the backlog down.
If elected, what would your top 3 priorities be?
(1) My number one goal as judge of this court is to get the docket numbers under control. CDC2 has 2,500 pending cases and the next worst court has 1,750 pending cases. This is unacceptable and will change when I am judge.
(2) I want trial attorneys to consider my court to be the best place to try a tough case to verdict because I enforce the rule of law fairly.
(3) I also want to have a reputation for being the hardest working judge in the courthouse. I already have a reputation for being the hardest working prosecutor at the DA’s Office and I will carry that work ethic to the bench. Detectives call me frequently and ask which judge is still in the courthouse after 2pm at the end of the week. Detectives have a hard time finding judges to sign their warrants, which is unacceptable. All of the crimes against children detectives and most of the family violence detectives have my personal cell already and I promise to make myself available to them for warrant service even after hours.
How will you measure your success as the judge for Criminal Court 2?
It is difficult to measure fairness and a person’s ability to enforce the law impartially. Reputation at the courthouse is probably the best measure of those things. However, docket numbers matter as far as efficiency is concerned. If lawyers enjoy trying cases in front of me and our backlog is reduced by 25% after the first year, then that will be success.
Why should voters choose you over your opponent?
I’m honored to be endorsed by the majority of the conservative leadership in Tarrant County and my endorsement list is on my website, knightforjudge.com. I am endorsed by Former Representative Matt Krause, Rep. Nate Schatzline, Rep. David Cook, District Clerk Tom Wilder, former Court of Appeals Chief Justice John Cayce, Texas Values Action, Young Conservative of Texas, six republican club presidents, five mayors, six city council members, seven school board members, over forty-five precinct chairs, seven GOP Area Leaders, prominent lawyers, and many others. I am supported by many in our party because I am the best candidate for the job and no candidate works harder than I do. DA Phil Sorrells said publicly that I am the hardest working prosecutor at the DA’s Office.
I am the only career prosecutor in my race, and I am the only candidate who is Board Certified in Criminal law. I’ve served in two special prosecution units and also have experience supervising attorneys- that matters. My Special Victims Unit and Intimate Partner Violence Unit experience makes me the ideal candidate to enforce the laws as written. The rule of law has never been more important, and it will be an honor to continue enforcing our laws for our community as judge. My experience means that I will be able to hit the ground running on day one without any on the job training. Victims deserve to be heard and defendants deserve due process. It takes a judge with the right kind of temperament and experience to make sure those things happen at the same time. Hire me as the next judge of CDC2 and that is exactly what you’ll get.
How would you define the role of the judge in Criminal Court 2?
A criminal court’s proper role is to enforce the rule of law. The judge of a criminal court should create an environment where litigants can try a tough case to verdict while receiving predictable, well-reasoned legal decisions. Criminal courts provide the critical function of holding people accountable for their actions while, at the same time, letting innocent people go free. Criminal courts are different from others because they are where the rubber of the Constitution most often meets the road of life. A society that does not have the rule of law in its criminal courts does not truly have liberty.
What else should voters know about you?
William Knight was born and raised in Fort Worth. After graduating from All Saints’ Episcopal School, he earned his B.B.A. degree at Southern Methodist University He then went on to earn both his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees at St. Mary’s University where he was on the dean’s list and graduated with honors. Upon graduating, William dedicated his life to keeping our community safe. He served as a Staff Attorney at the Texas Department of Public Safety before serving at the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. William is board certified in criminal law and is the only candidate in this race with that distinction.
William is a prosecutor and spent years as the Assistant Chief of the District Attorney’s Intimate Partner Violence Unit (IPV) seeking justice for abused men and women. He previously prosecuted child abuse and elderly abuse cases in the Special Victims Unit (SVU). In 2019, Knight was voted Child Abuse Prosecutor of the Year for Tarrant County by his law enforcement peers. William consulted with detectives on numerous complex criminal matters from child sexual abuse to serious intimate partner violence cases. William has also lectured for police departments on best practices for criminal investigations. He was named Top Attorney in Criminal Law by Fort Worth Magazine in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Knight also lectures at Texas A&M School of Law and for the State Bar of Texas. District Attorney Phil Sorrells has publicly stated he is the hardest working prosecutor in his office.
Knight’s conservative judicial philosophy will guide his decision making on the bench. During law school, Knight served as president of The Federalist Society and worked with conservative leaders like Senator Ted Cruz and others from the Heritage Foundation and CATO Institute to bring a conservative perspective to law school. Knight will strictly interpret the law as written and never legislate from the bench.
Knight’s real-world experience includes his leadership at Templeton Machine which was founded in 1951 by his grandfather who served in Third Army under General George Patton during World War II. Knight is a fourth generation Texan, a twelfth generation American and is a member of Sons of the American.
Glynis McGinty
Did not respond.
This story was originally published February 11, 2024 at 6:00 AM.