When David “Glenn” Williams talks about why he chose to run for the 75th State District Court, he doesn’t start with politics or ambition. He starts with a judge he admired.
In this week’s edition of Bluebonnet News Headlines and Heartlines, Williams, said the retirement of Judge Mark Morefield struck him in a way he did not expect. Morefield’s commitment to fairness, steady leadership, and strict adherence to the law left a mark on him early in his career, and those lessons resurfaced when the seat opened.
“Judge Morefield really stood out to me,” Williams said. “He made a difference, really made an impression upon me, and his departure is something that I took very strongly.”
For Williams, who has practiced law for 21 years, the decision to run felt like a natural progression — one rooted in both professional experience and long-held respect for the court. Public service also runs in his family. He is the son of former Liberty County Clerk Paulette Williams, now retired, and he grew up watching her serve the community.
During the interview, Williams described his judicial philosophy in simple terms: stay grounded. He said a judge should never believe the position elevates them above the people they serve.
“You’re not exalted by God to preside over the general populace,” he said. “You are meant to be an umpire — fair, unbiased, humble, and accountable.”
According to Williams, the bench is not a place of authority, but a place of responsibility.
Williams also spoke about the qualities he believes a district judge must bring to the courtroom: calmness, integrity, and an ability to separate emotional reactions from legal obligations. The job, he said, often requires making decisions that go against personal feelings, and that is where discipline becomes essential.
“You have to be comfortable making decisions you personally don’t agree with,” he said. “That’s what an umpire does.”
Williams was candid about what he sees as the court’s most pressing challenge: an overloaded docket. The buildup of felony cases has pushed Liberty County’s jail system past its limits, forcing the county to pay for inmate housing elsewhere. He said tackling that backlog needs to be a priority for whoever steps onto the bench next as the elected judge.
“We really need the focus of the 75th to be trying a lot of cases as quickly as possible and moving the dockets,” he said.
When asked how a judge makes that happen with a limited calendar, Williams pointed to practical scheduling changes and public cooperation. Jury trials can’t happen without jurors, and getting people to serve on juries has become particular challenging in recent years with some trials having to be reset multiple times before a jury could be selected.
Williams suggested pulling multiple juries from the same pool, releasing people quickly when they aren’t needed, and sharing potential jurors with the 253rd District Court when both courts happen to be selecting panels on the same day. However, this still cannot happen unless people take jury duty more seriously and show up when they are required.
Williams also addressed a question he says he has heard often from law enforcement officers: how does a longtime defense attorney switch into the role of neutral judge? Williams said the shift isn’t as dramatic as some imagine because at the core of good lawyering is doing your best, being prepared, and giving the job everything you have, traits that translate directly to the bench.
“What sets me apart is the drive that allowed me to build my practice,” he said. “I put my clients first, sometimes to my own detriment. It’s just who I am.”
He believes that same internal push toward excellence will guide him to fairness as a judge.
The full interview with Glenn Williams is available now on the Headlines and Heartlines podcast on Spotify by clicking here, on YouTube by clicking here, and will be aired on KILE FM 94.9 radio on Tuesday, Dec. 9, and Friday, Dec. 12, with both radio shows starting at 10 a.m.