PROBATE JUDGE CHRISTINE RIDDLE BUTTS – pictured with Mayor Allen Owen (left). Judge Christine Riddle Butts (right) currently serves as the Probate Judge for District Court #4 in Harris County. In November of 2010, after fourteen years of practice as a probate lawyer in Harris County, Judge Riddle Butts was elected by the people of Harris County to serve as the judge for Probate Court #4. As a probate judge she presides over probate, guardianship, and civil mental health cases. Judge Riddle Butts’ mission is to serve families in times of crisis in a thoughtful, compassionate, and deliberate way, whether that crisis involves the loss of a loved one, the need for a guardianship, or a mental health issue. Her experience and caring nature has served her well on the bench.
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INTERVIEW: Judge Christine Riddle Butts (Probate Judge for Harris County Probate Court #4) answers a few questions asked by Aubrey R. Taylor about her dream, mission in life, outlook for 2015, and advice to others striving to achieve their dream
QUESTION #1
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What was life like for you as a child growing up?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: I grew up in Northwest Houston and went to Westfield High School. My first job was at a skating rink working in the snack bar when I was in the eighth grade. During high school, I enjoyed serving as a waitress at our local steak house, Del Friscos. My father was an attorney and I spent high school and college summers working in his office and accompanying him to court. As a high school junior, Rotary International sponsored me as an exchange student to Germany, where I stayed with a wonderful family in Vreden, a small farming town outside Cologne. My parents were very supportive of me and instilled in me the values of faith, diligence, education, and service.
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: I grew up in Northwest Houston and went to Westfield High School. My first job was at a skating rink working in the snack bar when I was in the eighth grade. During high school, I enjoyed serving as a waitress at our local steak house, Del Friscos. My father was an attorney and I spent high school and college summers working in his office and accompanying him to court. As a high school junior, Rotary International sponsored me as an exchange student to Germany, where I stayed with a wonderful family in Vreden, a small farming town outside Cologne. My parents were very supportive of me and instilled in me the values of faith, diligence, education, and service.
QUESTION #2
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream of becoming as you were a child growing up?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: When I was very young, my mother required an expensive surgery and, fresh out of law school, my father was desperate to raise the money for her surgery. I gave him the two quarters I had earned from weeding and sweeping a neighbor's driveway and asked what else I could do to help. He said I could grow up and become a lawyer to help him in his probate practice and to serve other families facing crisis. In that moment, my father gave me my mission, and from that point on I knew that I would become a probate lawyer.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What did you dream of becoming as you were a child growing up?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: When I was very young, my mother required an expensive surgery and, fresh out of law school, my father was desperate to raise the money for her surgery. I gave him the two quarters I had earned from weeding and sweeping a neighbor's driveway and asked what else I could do to help. He said I could grow up and become a lawyer to help him in his probate practice and to serve other families facing crisis. In that moment, my father gave me my mission, and from that point on I knew that I would become a probate lawyer.
QUESTION #3
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieve your childhood dream, or did it evolve into something different?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: When I accompanied my father to court, I enjoyed sitting in on Judge Scanlan's guardianship docket. His demeanor on the bench demonstrated empathy for family members, compassion and respect toward the disabled, and a mastery of probate law. My desire to follow in his footsteps developed at a young age in the crowded spaces within the Family Law Building. Now, I look out the window from my 7th floor office in the Civil Courts building and see where my dreams took root as I fondly remember the colorful mural in Judge Austin's courtroom, the shaded benches where I often ate lunch, and the painted signs of demonstrators who seemed ever present in the late 1980's.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Did you achieve your childhood dream, or did it evolve into something different?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: When I accompanied my father to court, I enjoyed sitting in on Judge Scanlan's guardianship docket. His demeanor on the bench demonstrated empathy for family members, compassion and respect toward the disabled, and a mastery of probate law. My desire to follow in his footsteps developed at a young age in the crowded spaces within the Family Law Building. Now, I look out the window from my 7th floor office in the Civil Courts building and see where my dreams took root as I fondly remember the colorful mural in Judge Austin's courtroom, the shaded benches where I often ate lunch, and the painted signs of demonstrators who seemed ever present in the late 1980's.
QUESTION #4
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: In addition to raising a noble family of my own, my mission is to help families in crisis when the crisis involves the loss or incapacity of a loved one.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your mission in life?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: In addition to raising a noble family of my own, my mission is to help families in crisis when the crisis involves the loss or incapacity of a loved one.
QUESTION #5
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishment you would like to share?
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Do you have a recent accomplishment you would like to share?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: The probate courts have developed a handbook for guardians and such handbook has been translated into Spanish and Hindi by talented lawyers dedicated to serving guardians in their community. We also offer a quarterly CLE program to attorneys and have updated our website to include online docket setting and useful practice information for attorneys, all designed to make the practice of law more efficient and cost effective for attorneys and those they serve.
QUESTION #6
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: 2015 will see a renewed focus on enhancing services for the mentally ill. The assisted outpatient treatment program, which is designed to assist the mentally ill with treatment compliance outside of a hospital setting, is set to expand in the next several years.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What is your outlook for 2015?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS: 2015 will see a renewed focus on enhancing services for the mentally ill. The assisted outpatient treatment program, which is designed to assist the mentally ill with treatment compliance outside of a hospital setting, is set to expand in the next several years.
QUESTION #7
AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someone out there striving to achieve their dream?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS OFFERED THIS QUOTE: "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." Harriet Tubman.
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AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What advice would you give to someone out there striving to achieve their dream?
JUDGE RIDDLE BUTTS OFFERED THIS QUOTE: "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." Harriet Tubman.
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"I would like to take this moment to thank Judge Christine Riddle Butts for finding value in our vision to uplift, inspire, inform, and empower others in association with our "2014 Year-End Review" edition of Houston Business Connections Magazine." -- Aubrey
As President and CEO of Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, I encourage you to support the people, small business, organizations, corporations and ministries who support our mission and vision to uplift, inspire, inform, and empower others as we climb.
Best regards,
Aubrey R. Taylor
Publisher of Houston Business Connections Magazine
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**** Please do not forget that your support can enable us to reach more people with our message of encouragement, hope, inspiration, and empowerment. So email me your request for a hard-copy of our “2014 Year-End Review” edition of Houston Business Connections Magazine today at: (aubreyrtaylor@gmail.com). And don’t forget that our ad prices start at a very low $40.00 dollars per issue. WE CAN ACHIEVE OUR INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE GOALS AND DREAMS BY FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER!!!
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PEOPLE FEATURED ON THE COVER: Businessman Craig Joseph (owner of Houston's This Is It Soul Food). FBISD Superintendent Dr. Charles Dupre, TSU Program Director Dr. Michael O. Adams (Director of the eMPA and MPA programs at Texas Southern University), Judge Loyd Wright (District Probate Judge for Court #1 in Harris County), Businessman Bill Frazer (2015 Candidate for Controller of Houston), Controller Ronald C. Green (City of Houston Controller), Mayor Allen Owen (the mayor of Missouri City), Judge Christine Riddle Butts (District Probate Judge for Court #4 in Harris County), Grayle James (the FBISD President of the Board of Trustees), and Educator/Attorney Carroll G. Robinson (2015 Candidate for Controller of Houston). Email your request to (aubreyrtaylor@gmail.com) if you would like to have a copy of our "2014 Year-End Review" edition of Houston Business Connections Magazine mailed directly to your home or business.
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Boasting accreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the master of public administration (MPA) program at TSU is a 48-credit-hour program that has produced key change agents in human resources, international development and policy. For more information about these programs, please contact Dr. Michael O. Adams, 713-313-7760.
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Launched in Fall 2013, the emergency management and homeland security (EMHS) program is designed to create graduates with extensive theoretical and applied knowledge in emergency management and disaster research. The Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management and Homeland Security prepares students for careers in emergency management and public safety careers and will introduce students to the all-hazards approach, emergency disaster management phases, risk assessment, prevention and management, counter-terrorism, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery. For more information about these programs, please contact Dr. Michael O. Adams, 713-313-7760.
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Boasting accreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the master of public administration (MPA) program at TSU is a 48-credit-hour program that has produced key change agents in human resources, international development and policy. For more information about these programs, please contact Dr. Michael O. Adams, 713-313-7760.
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Launched in Fall 2013, the emergency management and homeland security (EMHS) program is designed to create graduates with extensive theoretical and applied knowledge in emergency management and disaster research. The Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management and Homeland Security prepares students for careers in emergency management and public safety careers and will introduce students to the all-hazards approach, emergency disaster management phases, risk assessment, prevention and management, counter-terrorism, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery. For more information about these programs, please contact Dr. Michael O. Adams, 713-313-7760.
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About Carroll G. Robinson
Carroll G. Robinson is an Associate Professor and a former Associate Dean of External Affairs at the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston, Texas. Professor Robinson is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Houston Community College System (HCC) and a Citizen Member of the Board of Trustees of the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors of K9s4COPs. He is also a past chairman of the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce.
Professor Robinson is a former At-Large (elected citywide) member of the Houston (Texas) City Council. As a member of the City Council, Professor Robinson chaired the city’s Transportation, Technology and Infrastructure Committee.
Professor Robinson represented the City of Houston on the Board of Directors of the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the local council of regional governments. He served as a member of the Board’s Budget Committee and was a Vice Chair of the Transportation Policy Council. He also represented the City of Houston on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for I-69 Texas and TEX-21, a statewide transportation coalition of elected officials, business leaders and transportation and infrastructure professionals.
Professor Robinson is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities where he served as a member of the Board’s Finance Committee and was a member of the Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Steering Committee. He is a former member of the Texas Municipal League’s Utilities and Environment Committee, and Transportation Task Force; Advisory Board of the Texas Environmental Defense Fund; a past President of the Texas Association of Black City Council Members where he was also a member of the Housing Committee; a former member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO); a former member of the Texas Attorney General’s Municipal Advisory Committee (1998); Founding Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council’s Local Elected Officials Network; a former Chairman of the National League of Cities Democratic Municipal Officials; a former member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC); and a former General Counsel of the Texas Democratic Party.
Prior to his election to the Houston City Council, Professor Robinson was an Associate Professor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. He has also worked as an adjunct Professor at South Texas College of Law.
Professor Robinson has worked in the Texas Legislature as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis. He received his Bachelor of Arts (with Honors) in Political Science from Richard Stockton State College in Pomona, New Jersey (where he received a Certificate of Academic Accomplishment in African-American Studies) and his Juris Doctorate from the National Law Center at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
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