Traffic Cases
Judge Mark Fury brings steady leadership and hands-on courtroom presence to one of Harris County’s busiest JP courts, ensuring traffic cases move efficiently, fairly, and with dignity. Respected by law enforcement and citizens alike, he balances accountability with due process—making sure every case is heard, understood, and resolved within the law.
The Precinct Five, Place Two Court is the second largest Court in the County by case volume. A significant portion of that case volume comes from traffic citations filed by County Law Enforcement (the Harris County Sheriff and Harris County Constable Precinct Five Deputies) and State Law Enforcement, such as Texas State Troopers (Texas Department of Public Safety). There are two JP Courthouses in Precinct Five. The Clay Road courthouse is more convenient and accessible to the unincorporated area of the precinct. In the unincorporated area, County law enforcement serves as the primary first responder. The result is a large number of traffic citations are filed at the Clay Road courthouse.
As JP, Mark could nearly always be found in the courtroom during arraignments – dockets that are typically the first setting on a traffic case where a citizen could either personally, or through their attorney, sit down to work something out with a prosecutor from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Mark’s presence served to move things along, allowed him to review plea bargain arrangements with citizens who were unsure or had questions. Mark’s presence added to the dignity and decorum of the Court Room. Citizens were not left wondering: Where is the Judge we are paying over $100,000 per year to serve on a JP bench? Why is the Judge absent from Court during such a busy docket? Mark takes pride in actively serving his constituents.
Mark is a Republican who has always enjoyed the strong support of law enforcement. However, when traffic cases went to trial, it was not a foregone conclusion that the citizen would be found guilty. Often, prosecutors serving in the JP Court are new lawyers, just out of school, and part of their training is to learn to try cases. The Harris County District Attorney uses the JP Courts to train his newly hired attorneys out of law school. For a successful “guilty” verdict, the prosecutor needs to prove each and every element of the criminal complaint, and each beyond a reasonable doubt. So, for example, Mark was attentive and ready when the Defense asked for a “directed verdict” of “Not Guilty” when a new prosecutor missed an element. Mark also showed skill and grace when managing the courtroom during jury trials on a traffic cases. When a case goes to Jury Trial and the defendant is representing themselves “pro-se”, some skill and good- natured court management dexterity – and even at times levity – can assure a dignified trial process, and a verdict which all can respect.