Texas District Court Judge Julie Kocurek honored with William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence
November 22, 2024 -- Texas District Court Judge Julie Kocurek received the 29th Annual William H. Rehnquist Award for
Judicial Excellence during an event at the Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday.
Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr., presented the award to Judge Kocurek before a gathering of her family, friends, and honored guests.
One of the highest judicial recognitions in the country, the Rehnquist award honors a state court judge who demonstrates the outstanding qualities of judicial excellence, including integrity, fairness, open-mindedness, knowledge of the law, professional ethics, creativity, sound judgment, courage, and decisiveness.
During his introduction of Judge Kocurek, Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht noted her courage, resolve, and commitment to the fair administration of justice. He also highlighted her advocacy for court security improvements in Texas and across the country.
“For Julie and her family, retelling and reliving the events of the 2015 shooting is painful. But she has leaned into her life, into the judiciary, into her community,” he said. “As she told me, God had a different plan for her life.”
In his presentation of the award, Chief Justice Roberts spoke about the prevalence of violence directed at judges and commended Judge Kocurek’s fight against fear and intimidation.
“She has exhibited enormous personal courage,” he said.
Judge Kocurek told the audience that she remembers the night of the 2015 shooting like it was yesterday.
“At that moment, I thought I was being murdered in front of my own son. I worried my family was next, but it stopped after me. We all knew immediately I had been attacked because of my work as a district judge,” she said.
Judge Kocurek was shot four times by a defendant who had previously appeared before her. She was hospitalized for 40 days and returned to work several months after the attack.
“I questioned whether I should go back to work and why I had chosen this line of work in the first place,” she said. “I remembered why wanted to be a judge: Because every day I am able to personally help people change the course of their lives in a positive way. And I realized that although my attack seemed very personal, it was not about me. This was an attack on our justice system, and I returned to the bench to show that justice will prevail over violence.”
To learn more about Judge Kocurek, visit the media release.