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David Fleischer (judge)
American judge From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David Marcel Fleischer is an American judge currently serving on the Harris County Criminal Court in Texas.[1] He was first elected to the position in 2018, running as a Democrat, and won reelection in 2022.[1][2][3] Fleischer is popular online for his unique style of holding defendants accountable while offering guidance.[4][5]
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Biography
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Fleischer is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated from Santiago, Chile, to Houston in 1973.[6][7] He graduated from the University of Houston and Cooley Law School.[2] Fleischer has been a lawyer in Texas since 2004 and was a criminal defense attorney before running for public office.[7]
In 2018, Fleischer ran for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 after incumbent Margaret Harris declined to run for reelection.[6][8] He focused his campaign on reforming the court and ensuring that all defendants are treated fairly and equally.[2][6] In the Democratic primary, he faced two challengers and received 50% of the vote, moving on to the general election.[9] In the general election, Fleischer defeated Republican Xavier Alfaro 55.13% to 44.87%.[8][10]
Once in office, Fleischer worked with other reform judges to settle lawsuits that ruled that bail practices in Harris County were unconstitutional.[1] Under the enacted bail reform, there was a significant reduction of people denied a bond for misdemeanor offenses as well as defendants not being jailed for being late to court or testing positive for marijuana.[1]
Fleischer ran for re-election in 2022 and faced two District Attorney challengers, a Democrat and a Republican.[1] In the March primary election, Fleischer defeated challenger Carlos Aguayo 53.48% to 46.52%.[11] In the general election, he faced Elizabeth Buss who had criticized the county's progressive judges for the increase in violence.[1] Fleischer defended the county's bail reform, saying, "We put in a lot of work [to show] that any fear that someone might have had about bail reform is just nonsensical in the misdemeanor arena."[12] In the November election, Fleischer narrowly defeated Buss, 50.15% to 49.85%.[3][13]
In 2024, Fleischer received national attention for his viral videos for his blunt commentary while ruling on cases, while also providing guidance and compassion for defendants.[4][14] He has also received praise for his stance on racial justice and for dismissing cases involving potential racial profiling by law enforcement.[4][5][15] Fleischer streams the criminal proceedings he presides on YouTube. Some defense attorneys have criticized Fleischer for "playing to the camera" and being disrespectful to defendants when live streaming his cases.[5]
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Personal life
Fleischer is married and has four children with his wife.[2] His mother is Jewish. Both of his parents are Chilean.[16]
References
External links
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