HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Prosecutors claim a sitting Harris County judge is biased against domestic violence victims and are pushing to have the judge removed from a domestic violence case, court filings show.
Judge Melissa Morris is set to rule on defense attorneys’ motion for a retrial in the case of Aaron Wright, who was sentenced to 50 years in prison for breaking into his ex-wife’s Tomball home in 2021 and shooting her five times.
In a motion filed last week, prosecutors claim Morris questioned the victim’s credibility and that her “facial expressions showed her unhappiness” with the jury’s verdict.
The motion goes on to claim that in a prior domestic violence case, Morris applauded and laughed after a not guilty verdict.
“It’s all about perception,” said ABC13 legal analyst Brian Wice after reviewing the prosecutors’ motion.
“What concerns me about this motion is that it has all of the earmarks of one that could ultimately be successful,” Wice said.
“It’s very disheartening. It’s disappointing,” said Jamie Wright, a domestic violence survivor who now advocates on behalf of other victims.
“To know that when we finally make that decision to reach out for help, that there’s a possibility that someone in the legal criminal justice system will laugh at us, that’s just – that’s a lot. That’s a lot to take on,” Wright said.
Judge Morris didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment sent to her office.
Multiple attorneys Eyewitness News spoke with say they’ve always known her to be impartial.
“My belief is that they think the motion for a new trial would be granted by Judge Morris, and this is legal gamesmanship by the DA’s office to keep that from happening,” said Vik Vij, vice president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association.
Eyewitness News asked him about some of the prosecutors’ specific allegations, including that Judge Morris laughed after a jury’s not-guilty verdict.
“I wasn’t there, I didn’t see it,” Vij said. “That would be surprising to hear. Sometimes people make nervous laughter or anything like that.”
Attorneys say it’s fairly rare for prosecutors to seek a judge’s recusal and rarer still for judges to be involuntarily removed from a case.
Judge Morris and prosecutors are set to argue their respective cases during a recusal hearing Tuesday afternoon.
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