Municipal Judge Robinson strives to make difference

A judge, or arbiter of justice, is a leader who presides over a court of law, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. Demetra Robinson is the judge who has presided over the community of Commerce for the past seven years.

Robinson first gained an interest in law enforcement in high school when a unit in her civics class covered Texas Crimes and Punishments. Since then, her dedication to the law field has steadily grown.

"For me, working in law enforcement is the equivalent of eating as much chocolate as I want and never gaining an ounce," she said.

Robinson grew up in Sulphur Springs, graduated from Sulphur Springs High School, and is very familiar with Commerce and its surrounding communities. Robinson is in her 10th year working for the City of Commerce, having started as the court clerk/associate judge. She recently gained her Bachelor's degree from A&M-Commerce and now plans to attend law school and become an attorney.

Commerce Chief of Police Kerry Crews has been working with Robinson for 10 years, and said there are quite a few things she has done to improve law enforcement in Commerce.

"The biggest thing that she has done since being appointed judge is create a Warrant Officer position in the Court," he said.

The significance of this is that warrants issued from her court have a better chance of being cleared with the warrant office, thus eliminating a backup of unpaid fines.

Municipal judges and court clerks receive extensive training to become fully educated on how to operate a court and handle cases. Judges who handle more than Class C Misdemeanor cases need a law degree since there are a lot of other issues they must address.

"I don't feel that not having a law degree makes a difference in how she handles cases," Crews said.

To avoid controversy, Robinson limits her involvement in city politics to directly working for the Commerce City Council, although she does plan to run for some office in the future.

"I would just like to make a difference," she said.

Associate Judge Kennetta Harrison said she has learned a great deal about law enforcement while working with Robinson.

"I have learned more in a year with Robinson than I have in my four years in college," she said.

Harrison said Robinson has extensive knowledge of law and her judicial abilities readily manifest themselves on a daily basis.

"Judge Robinson has the knowledge of the penal code as well as the transportation code, which is what is needed for her position as presiding judge for the Commerce Municipal Court," Harrison said.

Letting the public know about her work is another area in which Harrison said Robinson succeeds.

"She has shared the knowledge of law not only to me, but to the public that may just walk in and ask questions, or those who just need help," Harrison said.

As a judge, there are always forms of animosity and controversy. Although no specific occurrences come to mind, Robinson said she has had to make difficult decisions during her tenure. By taking an oath to uphold and interpret the law in a fair and impartial manner, she has the ability to apply the law to any situation at hand.

"Everyone has experienced some animosity in their career," she said. "No road to any goal is without conflict or controversy."

According to Harrison, Robinson has done a remarkable job rendering fair verdicts.

"As a judge, you may have to do things that may not make everyone happy," Harrison said, "but the law is the law and we have to abide by it."

Both Robinson and Harrison have plans to improve the city of Commerce.

"As the Commerce Municipal Court, we as a department will continue to work with law enforcement as well as other departments to better Commerce, Texas and ensure safety to the people," she said.