Pat Lykos
Encyclopedia
Patricia R. "Pat" Lykos (born 1943) is an American
lawyer
who is the District Attorney
of Harris County
, Texas
, United States
. She defeated Democrat Brad Bradford in the general election on November 4, 2008. She survived the March 2008 primary, coming in second and receiving enough votes to qualify for the April 2008 runoff election. In the April 8, 2008, runoff, she defeated prosecutor Kelly Siegler 52.6% to 47.3%. The Harris County District Attorney position became open after the former DA Chuck Rosenthal
resigned in response to scandal that happened after racial and sexist messages and jokes were found on county computers, under Rosenthal's control.
and South Texas College of Law
, has dedicated her professional career to the administration of justice, starting as a Houston police officer, working her way through college and law school, and then in her own private practice as a litigator. In 1980, the Harris County Commissioners' Court appointed her to the newly-created bench of County Criminal Court No. 10, and she won election that year, becoming the first Republican elected to a Harris County criminal court bench.
In 1981, Republican Governor Bill Clements
appointed her as Judge of the 180th State Criminal District Court, where she presided over more than 20,000 criminal cases during 14 years on the court. Lykos successfully ran for re-election to the criminal court for three terms, in 1982, 1986 and 1990. For the past decade, Pat has served as a senior district judge, serving as a special assignments judge, and since 2001, as Director of Special Projects for County Judge Robert Eckels, and Director of Judicial and Legal Issues for County Judge Ed Emmett.
She was the former chief judge of the Harris County criminal district courts, served three terms as President of the Retired, Senior and Former Judges of Texas, and taught in programs for the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the American Bar Association
, and the State Bar of Texas. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
and the Houston Bar Foundation, of which she is a founding member. She has been an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law, and taught at the National Judicial College.
She has appeared on television news programs such as Nightline, 48 Hours
and Crime in America. She is the recipient of many awards, including “State District Judge of the Year”, awarded by the Harris County Deputy Sheriffs Association.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who is the District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She defeated Democrat Brad Bradford in the general election on November 4, 2008. She survived the March 2008 primary, coming in second and receiving enough votes to qualify for the April 2008 runoff election. In the April 8, 2008, runoff, she defeated prosecutor Kelly Siegler 52.6% to 47.3%. The Harris County District Attorney position became open after the former DA Chuck Rosenthal
Chuck Rosenthal (district attorney)
Charles A. "Chuck" Rosenthal, Jr. is an American lawyer who was formerly the District Attorney of Harris County, Texas, United States.-Biography:...
resigned in response to scandal that happened after racial and sexist messages and jokes were found on county computers, under Rosenthal's control.
Biography
Lykos, a graduate of the University of HoustonUniversity of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and South Texas College of Law
South Texas College of Law
South Texas College of Law is a private American Bar Association accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools...
, has dedicated her professional career to the administration of justice, starting as a Houston police officer, working her way through college and law school, and then in her own private practice as a litigator. In 1980, the Harris County Commissioners' Court appointed her to the newly-created bench of County Criminal Court No. 10, and she won election that year, becoming the first Republican elected to a Harris County criminal court bench.
In 1981, Republican Governor Bill Clements
Bill Clements
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...
appointed her as Judge of the 180th State Criminal District Court, where she presided over more than 20,000 criminal cases during 14 years on the court. Lykos successfully ran for re-election to the criminal court for three terms, in 1982, 1986 and 1990. For the past decade, Pat has served as a senior district judge, serving as a special assignments judge, and since 2001, as Director of Special Projects for County Judge Robert Eckels, and Director of Judicial and Legal Issues for County Judge Ed Emmett.
She was the former chief judge of the Harris County criminal district courts, served three terms as President of the Retired, Senior and Former Judges of Texas, and taught in programs for the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, and the State Bar of Texas. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
American Bar Foundation
Established in 1952, the ' is an independent, nonprofit national research institute located in Chicago, Illinois committed to objective empirical research on law and legal institutions...
and the Houston Bar Foundation, of which she is a founding member. She has been an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law, and taught at the National Judicial College.
She has appeared on television news programs such as Nightline, 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
and Crime in America. She is the recipient of many awards, including “State District Judge of the Year”, awarded by the Harris County Deputy Sheriffs Association.