Julie Kocurek: I’m a Texas judge. A defendant shot me. That shouldn’t happen.

State and local court judges play a pivotal role in our society. They preside over cases that shape the lives of individuals and the fabric of our communities. They uphold the rule of law and the Constitution. Alarmingly, state and local judges and court officials across the nation are facing increasing attacks and threats of violence and intimidation just for doing their job. In 2021, individuals protected by the U.S. Marshals Service — including federal judges, prosecutors and court officials — faced over 4,500 threats, a 400% increase since 2015. In Texas, 522 general threats, 29 assaults, and 68 bomb threats were made toward judicial officers from 2018 to 2023, according to the Texas Office of Court Administration. Simply stated, an attack on a judge is an attack on our judicial system and the rule of law. I know this all too well.

In 2015, a defendant who appeared in my courtroom weeks before shot and seriously wounded me in my car. My 15-year-old son watched the attack unfold, coming face to face with the gunman. My attacker obtained my home address, phone number, and the make and model of my vehicle from online searches, and he stalked me and my family for weeks. Shot four times, I spent 40 days in the hospital and underwent 30 surgeries. I lived in fear that my attacker, or someone else, would come to finish the job or harm my family. I was determined to fight against fear and intimidation, so I returned to the bench after I recovered. As I began taking measures to increase my personal security and my family’s security, I realized that state and local judges have virtually no access to expert resources to understand the threat environment, take personal protective measures, design more secure court facilities and protocols, and share threat information. Because of my attack, in 2017 the Texas Legislature passed the Judge Julie Kocurek Judicial and Courthouse Security Act, which requires local law enforcement to report judicial security incidents to the Texas Office of Court Administration. It created a filing fee to fund training for judges and court staff, and a special division to house information on judicial security.