Legal News

Houston Lawyer Tells of The Joys of Surfing a Partisan Wave Into Office

By Nathan Koppel

Earlier this month Houston lawyer Ravi Sandill, 32, became one of a slew of Democrats elected as a trial judge in Harris County, where Houston is located, shattering years of Republican domination. The Law Blog caught up with Sandill, who topped an opponent with decades of judicial experience, to learn about his journey to the bench.

Tell me a little about your background.

Both my parents immigrated from India. My dad has been in the U.S. military for 26 years. Because my dad was in the military, I’ve lived everywhere, but the majority of time in Texas. I graduated from the University of Texas, Austin, and then the University of Houston Law Center. I had a bout with cancer.

What kind of cancer?

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease in 2002 and had a relapse in 2003. I had a stem cell transplant in 2003 and have been in remission since then.

What kind of law have you practiced?

I’ve done employment law mainly, on both the plaintiffs and defense side, interspersed with commercial litigation.

When did you decide to run for judge?

July, 2007. I had set my sights initially on 2010, but Democratic party elders urged me to throw my hat in the ring this year.

Are you the first Indian-American to run for a county-wide office in Harris County?

I don’ t know if I’m the first to run, but I’m the first to be elected. I’m also the first South-Asian district judge elected in the entire state.

You ran on the ballot as R.K. Sandill. Did you fear prejudice if you had run as Ravi Sandill?

Yes. All of the Democrats won [their judicial races in Harris County] except for people with, as the Houston Chronicle has written, “unusual” sounding names. We made a calculation at the beginning that we would be better served with my initials.

How did it feel when you learned that you won?

I won by 11,00 votes. As the night went on on Nov. 4, it kept getting closer and closer. I didn’t find out I had won until midnight. I had a party with 65 or 70 people that had dwindled to 20. My parents stuck around. My mother started crying at 11:53. They were tears of joy. We popped open champagne. We had a suite at the Hotel ICON with a great view of downtown. It didn’t really hit me until the next day when people start calling you judge and sending you unsolicited emails congratulating you and seeing how you feel.

People have been critical of partisan judicial elections, and of the fact that many newly elected Democrats in Houston are taking the place of more experienced Republican judges.

Partisan elections are wrought with problems, but when you have elections, it is cyclical. Republican judges in Harris County were swept into office in 1994, so the party on the downside of the cycle will always complain. Experience is something you can always gain. At the end of the day, you need judges who are bright and have the temperament needed for the position.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on November 19, 2008 (boomark / email).