Trevor Rose

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of stories on contested county races in the March 2022 primaries.

Three Tyler attorneys have filed to replace Smith County Court at Law No. 3 Judge Floyd Getz, who is not seeking reelection.

Sara Maynard, Trevor Rose and Clay White are facing each other in the March Republican primary.

The County Court at Law No. 3 handles civil cases, class A and B misdemeanors, family law and probate.

No Democratic candidates filed for the March primary.

Sara Maynard

Maynard had been practicing law in Tyler for more than 25 years. She said 22 of those years were spent in private practice, and three years ago she became a prosecutor in County Court at Law No. 3.

She has been a prosecutor in County Court of Law No. 3 for three years but has practiced in the court since 1997. She added that she even helped Getz campaign for his last term and has “learned a lot by working in this courtroom.”

“This is the court I have worked in every day for more than 20 years,” she said. “I feel like I have not only a broad experience, but the relevant experience to be able to do the work on Day 1.”

Working in this court, she said she has gained valuable experience when it comes to misdemeanor and family law cases.

Maynard said she is also board certified in juvenile law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction earned by fewer than 100 attorneys in the state. The board certification covers the family code and the criminal code, two areas prominent in this court, she said.

“This shows that I have expertise along with the experience to be able to make good decisions,” she said.

Cases handled in this court are some of the most important because they affect numerous lives in the community for long periods of time, Maynard said.

Serving others is a large part of her family legacy, and she hopes to serve through the County Court at Law No. 3, Maynard said.

Trevor Rose

“I’ve always wanted to be a judge, pretty much ever since I started law school,” Rose said.

Rose has been an attorney for a little more than 11 years and is a felony criminal prosecutor for the Smith County District Attorney’s Office. He also has worked as an associate judge in the Jacksonville Municipal Court and as a defense attorney.

He said he has been involved in the prosecution of more than 4,000 criminals and has presented more than 500 cases to Smith County grand juries.

He said his current and past experiences have taught him about probate and family law among other things, which are big areas for this court. Rose said around 60 to 65% of the cases handled in the court are criminal, and he believes he is well prepared.

“I believe we need someone in the court who knows criminal law, has been involved with criminal law and can really keep the criminal docket under control”, he said.

As a court that handles class A and B misdemeanors, Rose said it is important to be strict when necessary but also lenient if needed. He added that as a judge in this court, “We try to get people from continuing to commit new offenses.”

“If we can help people to stop committing crimes at the misdemeanor level, then it will impact future generations,” he said.

One thing Rose said he wants to work on is the efficiency of the court. He said he would like to work with some district courts to hear some of the lower-level felony cases in the county court to get rid of the backlog caused by COVID-19.

If elected, Rose said he looks forward to serving the community and “shaping a better future for our kids and our community.”

Clay White

White has been a lawyer for 32 years and is a partner at White-Shaver Law Firm in Tyler. White said it is a good time for him to give back to the community and serve.

“You don’t just have vacancies come up within the court often, and I feel like it’s a great time for me to do it, and I feel like I’m more than qualified to do the job,” he said.

White said in his time as an attorney, he has primarily acted as a civil litigator, but has handled criminal misdemeanors, family law and probate cases as well. This experience is ideal since County Court at Law No. 3 deals with those types of cases, White said.

“This particular bench is a perfect fit for what I do and have done from just the experience standpoint,” he said.

In his experience, White said he has been in hundreds of courtrooms and worked with hundreds of judges in the state of Texas. He said he has seen “good judges and bad judges” and thinks he “would be a strong conservative judge for this court.”

The County Court at Law No. 3 affects all areas of the community, White said. From a civil case involving a car wreck, family disputes, misdemeanors or probate, you have to be prepared for it all, he said.

“I think the key about this particular bench is it touches all areas of the community, and you need an experienced, levelheaded judge to be in that position,” White said.

If elected, he said he would be a servant to the community, respectful to others and impartial.

One thing White said he would want to work on as judge is streamlining information, such as dockets. Working with the other courts to make sure everyone is on the same page is something he would like to work toward doing more efficiently, he said.

Efficiency in communicating and moving dockets would “get people who are in jail either to the penitentiary they need to be in or out of jail if they don’t need to be there,” White said.