Eric Yollick has filed an appeal of the decision by the Board of Judges to withhold their case disposition data in violation of Rule 12 of the Rules of Judicial Administration. The appeal is to the Texas Office of Court Administration. Yollick knows this information exists and has received partial copies of the documents from an source inside the Courthouse. That's how Yollick knew precisely what information to request. There is no reason that the Courthouse personnel should hide this data from public view.
Eric Yollick has filed an appeal of the decision by the Board of Judges to withhold their case disposition data in violation of Rule 12 of the Rules of Judicial Administration. The appeal is to the Texas Office of Court Administration. Yollick knows this information exists and has received partial copies of the documents from an source inside the Courthouse. That's how Yollick knew precisely what information to request. There is no reason that the Courthouse personnel should hide this data from public view.
Eric Yollick has filed an appeal of the decision by the Board of Judges to withhold their case disposition data in violation of Rule 12 of the Rules of Judicial Administration. The appeal is to the Texas Office of Court Administration. Yollick knows this information exists and has received partial copies of the documents from an source inside the Courthouse. That's how Yollick knew precisely what information to request. There is no reason that the Courthouse personnel should hide this data from public view.
YOLLICK LAW FIRM, P.C.
Post Office Box 7571
‘The Woodlands, Texas 77387-7571
281.363.3591
ERIC YOLLICK'** Writer's Emait
ericyollick@swbell net
January 8, 2016
Honorable David Slayton
Administrative Director
Texas Office of Court Administration
Post Office Box 12066
Austin, Texas 78711-2066
Via Email dslayton@excourts.gov
Re: Petition for Review Pursuant to Rule 12.9(a), Texas Rules of Judicial
Administration
Dear Mr. Slayton and the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Texas Office of Court Administration:
Please accept this letter as a Petition for Review Pursuant to Rule 12.9(a) of the Texas
Rules of Judicial Administration.
I request an expedited review pursuant to Rule 12.9(b)(3), because the documents are
necessary to determine the appropriate course of action to alleviate massive expenses to
Montgomery County taxpayers from overcrowding in the Montgomery County Jail. The purpose
of the request to the Office of Court Administration, Montgomery County, was to obtain
disposition rate data of each of the seven district courts in Montgomery County. Our County
Judge, the Honorable Craig Doyal, pled for help from the judges to relieve overcrowding in the
Jail in early October, 2015. The judges responded that they were not responsible for slow
disposition rates and that there is nothing the judges can do. The Jail overcrowding problem is
costing Montgomery County taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars per day.
‘Therefore, | submitted a request, pursuant to Rule 12, for two categories of information
from the Montgomery County Office of Court Administration:
1. Certain data regarding case dispositions from 2012 to 2015; and
Board Certified in Consumer and Commercial Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization
* Practice in Business Litigation, Deceptive Trade Laws (Plaintifs and Defendants), Commercial Law
* Licensed in Texas, Colorado, and the District of Columbia,2, Metadata from the stenographic machines which the Official Court Reporters use
in each of Montgomery County’s seven (7) district courts
A copy of my request is annexed hereto as Exhibit “A,”
On January 5, 2016, in the form of an email, the Honorable Nathan Jensen, Director of
the Office of Court Administration sent a denial of my request in its entirety. A copy of the
denial is annexed hereto as Exhibit “B.”
‘The supporting facts for the appeal follow
Item A: Court Statistical Data Regarding Case Disposition
The Office of Court Administration (“OCA”) under the direction of the Board of Judges
denied my request for statistical data and claimed that the data is “exempt.” OCA failed to
identify any specific exemptions under Rule 12.5 of the Rules of Judicial Administration.
‘The general rule is that “judicial records...are open to the general public for inspection
and copying during regular business hours.” Rule 12.4(a). Since the denial of my request, a
source inside the Montgomery County Courthouse provided me with some of the documents that
Jam seeking. A true and correct copy of those documents is annexed hereto as Exhibit “C.”
‘Those documents reveal the tertible disposition rates of several of the district courts with respect
to criminal cases. Those documents reveal that Judge Doyal’s concems are quite valid and that,
the taxpayers of this County very badly need the help of our District Judges to focus on moving,
their criminal dockets far more efficiently and steadily.
‘There is no exemption that covers the requested statistical data. Rather, Mr. Jensen's
denial is stonewalling plain and simple.
Item B: Metadata from Stenographic Recording Machines
It is my understanding that seven of the eight stenographic machines in use in the seven
district courts are actually owned by Montgomery County. That data would easily and clearly
reveal the number of hours that the machines are in use and, hence, the number of hours that each
district court was in session.
Rule 12 requires disclosure of “judicial records.” A “judicial record” means a record
mace or maintained by or for a court or judicial agency in its regular course of business...” Rule
12.2(d). The metadata of a court's stenographic machine constitutes a record made or
maintained by or for a court in its regular course of business (or at least what should be its
regular course of business).
Mr. Jensen failed to assert any exemption for the metadata. Therefore, the Montgomery
County Office of Court Administration should produce the stenographic metadata to me
forthwith,Prayer
For the foregoing reasons, Eric Yollick respectfully prays that the Texas Office of Court
Administration overrule the denial of access to the judicial records which I requested in Exhibit
“A,” grant expedited review of this appeal, and grant such other and further relief to which I may
show myself to be justly entitled.
Respectfull s
Enie Yollick
State Bar Number 22160100
Post Office Box 7571
‘The Woodlands, Texas 77387-7571
Office Telephone 281.363.3591
Mobile Telephone 832.496.4898
Email ericyollick@swhell.nct
ec: Honorable Nathan Jensen
Via Email n jensen@met.org
Honorable Craig Doyal, County Judge
Via Email craig. doval@mctx.org
Honorable J.D. Lambright, County Attorney
Via Email jd.lambright@metx.orgEric Yollick
307 N to
December 22, 2015
Honorable Nathan Jensen
Director, Office of Court Administration
Montgomery County Courthouse
300 North Main Street, Room 304
Conroe, Texas 77301
Dear Mr. Jensen:
Pursuant to Rule 12 of the Rules of Judicial Administration and article |, section 13, of the
Constitution of the State of Texas (“All courts shall be open...”), | request that you make available
to me for inspection and in the form of delivery of copies the following “Judicial Records”:
‘A. The monthly and annual statistical analyses, calculations, and presentations for each of the
seven district courts in Montgomery County for the following information: cases pending,
cases filed, motions to revoke, cases reactivated, all other cases added, total incoming,
total cases pending, cases disposed, cases placed on inactive, total outgoing, cases pending
end month, clearance rate percentage, time to disposition, average days to disposition for
all criminal, juvenile, family, and civil cases in each court for each month and year of 2012,
2013, 2014, and 2015; and
B. The certified stenographic recorder data showing time each certified stenographic recorder
machine is in actual use by day for each month and year of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. It is
my understanding that this data should remain on the hard drive of each certified
stenographic recorder and, by law, should not be the subject of a deletion.
Rule 12.6(b) requires making the records available to me no later than 14 days after your actual
receipt of this request. | shall, of course, reimburse your Office for reasonable expenses related to
the copying and making available to me of the requested materials.
Respectf(lty submitted,
Er k
cc:¥~ Honorable Craig Doyal, County Judge
Honorable J.D. Lambright, County Attorney
Mr. Andy Dubois, Executive Editor, The Courier
Honorable Kelly Case, Judge, 9" Judicial District
Honorable Lisa Michalk, Judge, 221" Judicial District
EXHIBIT AHonorable Cara Wood, Judge, 284" Judiciat District
Honorable Kathleen Hamilton, Judge, 359" Judicial District
Honorable K. Michael Mayes, Judge, 410" Judicial District
Honorable Tracy Gilbert, Judge, 418" Judicial District
Honorable Michael Seiler, Judge, 435" Judicial DistrictPant 115118, 9:26 PM
Subject: ule 12 Request
From: Jensen, N. (N.Jensen@metx.org)
To: ericyollick@ swbell. net;
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2016 5:38 PM
Hard copy to follow:
January 5, 2016
Mr. Eric Yollick
307 North San Jacinto Street
Conroe, Texas 7301
Dear Mr. Yollick:
This office has received your Rule 12 Open Records Request of December 22, 2015, in which you request
that this office “make available to [youl] for inspection and in the form of delivery of copies the following
“Tudicial Records’.” Your request, as I read it, is for A. copies of “monthly & annual statistical analyses,
calculations and presentations” for various caseload statistics of the seven District Courts in Montgomery
County and B. various certified stenographic recorder data.
As to request (A), the records you are requesting are exempt and not subject to disclosure under Rule 12,
though some of the data you request may be available through the Montgomery County District Clerk’s
Office.
As to request (B), this office is not the custodian of the records that you seek, and unable to ascertain who the
custodian would be.
Any appeal of this decision can be made to the following agency:
Texas Office of Court Administration
Attn: David Stayton, Administrative Director
PO. Box 12066
Austin, Texas 78711-2066
Sincerely,
Nathan Jensen
Director of Court Administration
Nathan Jensen
Director of Court Administration
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