Pete Sessions: “Today, I rise to honor Judge Julie Kocurek, who is the 390th State District judge in Austin, Texas. In 2015, the judge…”

“Today, I rise to honor Judge Julie Kocurek, who is the 390th State District judge in Austin, Texas. In 2015, the judge survived an assassination attempt by a criminal defendant seeking revenge for a decision she made in his case. Judge Kocurek and her family were stalked for a month before the individual attacked her, shooting her four times. Judge Kocurek miraculously survived and bravely returned to the bench to ensure that justice prevails over violence. Mr. Speaker, this is happening on an increased basis all across this country. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 8093, the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, introduced in this House by Chairman Michael McCaul and the late Sheila Jackson Lee and in the Senate by Senator Cornyn and Senator Coons. The bill would help judges by creating a State judicial threat intelligence and resource center to provide guidance and best practices for State judges. It informs law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I know firsthand the threats judges face because my father served as chief justice of the Western District of Texas in San Antonio at a time when one of his colleagues, the Honorable John H. Wood, Jr., was shot in the back by a criminal and killed. I think that we need to pay attention to crime and criminals better in this country, especially where they aim themselves at judges and our judicial system. ____________________”