Julie Kocurek

Julie H. Kocurek (born October 2, 1964) is an American attorney who serves as the presiding judge of the 390th District Court in Austin, Texas since January 1999, being appointed by then-Governor George W. Bush. Prior to serving as a Texas state judge, Kocurek served as an assistant district attorney in Travis County for seven years.

On November 6, 2015, Kocurek survived an assassination attempt outside of her Austin home. She returned to work in February 2016.

Early life Originally from Dayton, Texas, Kocurek graduated from Dayton High School, then received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1990.

State judicial service Kocurek's caseload has included presiding over cases brought against Texas governor Rick Perry and U.S Congressman Tom DeLay.

Assassination attempt On November 6, 2015, Kocurek was shot and seriously wounded by an assailant in the driveway of her home in the Tarrytown neighborhood as she and her son were returning home from a football game at her high school. Kocurek lost a finger due to the attack, but was able to return to the courtroom by February 2016.

The culprit behind the attack was Chimene Onyeri, an aspiring rapper whom Kocurek previously sentenced for running a tax refund scam. Since that conviction, he had expanded his criminal enterprise into credit card and debit card skimming, furthering his operation by bringing in multiple accomplices.

The investigation into the assassination attempt revealed the full scope of his racketeering enterprise, and Onyeri was put on trial at the federal courthouse in Austin.

After the assassination attempt, it was revealed that someone had earlier called in an anonymous tip that an unnamed judge was going to be targeted, but the vague tip was dismissed after investigation. In April 2017, the Texas Senate passed the "Judge Julie Kocurek Judicial and Courthouse Security Act of 2017" (the Act), mandating security protection for judges who have been threatened or attacked, including the creation of a Court Security Division within the state's Office of Court Administration;