About
On Attorney JPs verses non-Attorney JPs
Judge Mark Fury is preferred by attorneys. He has consistently won the “Bar Poll” – a survey of preference for judicial candidates among members of the Bar Association. This is a particularly impressive achievement because Mark Fury is a non-Attorney Justice of the Peace.
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The areas of the law practiced in a Justice of the Peace Court are not covered in depth in
Law School. Attorney JPs have a learning curve when assuming a JP bench. -
Mark came through his learning curve when he took the bench during his first term. (He
was elected to 2 terms.) Mark, graduated from an Ivy League School (Columbia
University) and mastered the areas of the Law that apply to a JP Court during his first
tenure as a Precinct 5 JP. -
Mark is the most experienced candidate in this JP race.
Opinion polls have consistently shown that Texans favor a non-Attorney JP. The reason is
simple, if a non-attorney citizen appears in JP Court, and the other side has an attorney, the
citizen may feel at a disadvantage if the Judge is also an attorney. The citizen may also be
concerned about a potential non-attorney bias against him, placing him at a disadvantage. Not so
with a non-Attorney JP. The citizen feels comfortable representing him or herself under this
circumstance.
Mission Trips
Mark is a veteran of seven overseas Mission Trips to build orphanage and other church infrastructure to meet the needs of the poor in third-world countries. These trips include four to Africa, two to South America and one to the Caribbean, through Maranatha and Bluebonnet Missions. On each trip, the construction team Mark is a part of built a cement block building with a metal roof in a week’s time. On two Africa trips, the needy served by the team were young women fleeing from genital mutilation and forced marriages in rural Kenya. Mark loves these trips. It is one way he lives out the Great Commission to serve his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as an American, a citizen of the most prosperous nation on earth, it is Mark’s way of showing gratitude and “giving back” – by serving those who have not been so materially blessed living in third-world countries.
Non-Judicial Professional Experience
After serving as Justice of the Peace at Chimney Rock, Mark has served the Community in a variety of capacities as a Project Manager and Operations Manager.
He worked for County Commissioner Steve Radack’s Parks Department as a right-hand to the Parks Superintendent and attracted public and private grant funds to develop County Park Infrastructure under the Commissioner’s direction.
Mark worked for Harris Health System, managed operations at Ben Taub Hospital, and served as Operations Project Manager for the Ben Taub Emergency Center Modernization (EC) project. The EC project was a 7-stage total reconstruction of the Level-1 EC that lasted for three years in duration – including through and during the time of the COVID 19 Pandemic. The existing EC was divided into 7 stages or sections, and each part entirely reconstructed while the EC maintained full operations. Mark oversaw the operational impacts, determining what was needed during each stage to assure the hospital could continue to provide full EC services, even during utility shut-downs. Patient safety was paramount. Under the collaborative efforts of Mark and the project team, the multi-stage project was completed on time and with zero adverse impacts to patient safety.
Mark also served Harris Health as part of a team that overhauled the health system’s contract
system. The team pioneered placing quality metrics in contracts involving purchases of
materials that come in contact with patients, to better manage risk and enhance patient safety.
Give me your feedback and input.
Clay Road JP Court
I decided to run for Justice of the Peace this year in Precinct Five because the Place Two court located on Clay Road west of Highway 6 is the most backlogged Court in Harris County, and likely the most poorly run of the 16 JP Courts as well. I have the experience and skill set to change all that. Since I have been out on the campaign trail, dozens of you have stopped me to tell me a story about the Precinct Five court on Clay Road – often a negative experience – and to thank me for running. If you have a story you would like to share about the Clay Road JP Court (negative or positive) please share it here.”
Give me your feedback and input. Chimney Rock Courthouse
“I served as Justice of the Peace at the Precinct Five, Place One court located on Chimney Rock Road at Gulfton a few years back and received plenty of positive feedback during my tenure on the bench. This past fall, I decided to run for the Precinct Five, Place Two bench on Clay Road. Out on the campaign trail, dozens of you have stopped me to tell me a nostalgic story from the time I served Place One court. If you have a story or comment you would like to share about my previous JP Service at the Chimney Rock Courthouse, (negative or positive) please share it here.”