Frizell for Place 3
Former judge is the best best in Democratic primary for Court of Criminal Appeals.
As a criminal defense attorney, Elizabeth Frizell has seen defendants who are wrongfully convicted and others who receive the death penalty in cases where a life sentence would have been more appropriate. She has seen higher courts rule verdicts in criminal trials must stand, even when lawyers or judges made significant errors in the trials that produced them.
Frizell, who is running in the Democratic primary for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3, says those issues would be among her top priorities in reviewing cases if elected.
The former Dallas County Criminal District Court judge, who has 26 years of legal experience, has also served as a municipal court judge and county family law judge. She narrowly lost her 2018 bid to be the Democrats’ nominee for Dallas County District Attorney. Prior to becoming a judge, she was a criminal defense attorney for 13 years and handled death penalty and court-appointed cases.
Frizell would bring a much-needed voice to the Court of Criminal Appeals, long an all-Republican bench. Her experience as a lawyer gives her insight into the flaws of the legal system, something that would help her weigh the life-anddeath decisions that come before Texas’s highest criminal court. In the last fiscal year, for instance, the Court of Criminal Appeals reviewed eight death penalty cases.
We were also impressed by Frizell’s platform, which includes addressing sentencing disparities by examining whether trial court judges consider mitigating circumstances. We are also intrigued by her call for allowing claims of actual innocence to be argued at the appellate level after trial and incarceration, and reviewing trial court rulings to prevent wrongful convictions. Those priorities are important reminders of the real-life impact of rulings from the court — often called the last resort for criminal cases.
“You're supposed to seek the truth,” Frizell, 52, told the Editorial Board. “That's what we should be doing on these death penalty cases.”
Frizell’s opponents in the race are Dan Wood, a former Kaufman County prosecutor who is board-certified in criminal appellate law, and William Pieratt Demond, 42, a constitutional rights lawyer. Frizell’s temperament and experience as both a trial lawyer and judge give her an edge. We endorse her for the Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3.