On Nov. 11 Beaumont attorney Dana Timaeus announced his candidacy for the 136th District Court while addressing a crowd gathered in front of the Jefferson County courthouse.
The court’s current judge, Judge Milton Shuffield, announced his plans to retire in September. Shuffield is one of four district judges in the county who almost exclusively handle civil cases.
“When Judge Shuffield retires, he will step away from cases that are all civil lawsuits,” Timaeus told the Record. “The parties in those cases, and the public, need a judge who is skilled, experienced, competent, and well and properly motivated to move the parties, attorneys, and the cases to their final resolutions, impartially and without showing favoritism.”
Timaeus, who is board certified in personal injury trial law, says he has handled and worked in civil cases for more than thirty years, from both sides of the docket and as a mediator.
“I hope that the voters will let me apply my skills and experience to full-time service of our community,” he added. “I want the parties in the cases pending in the 136th District Court to have trust that their judge will make decisions that are legally and practically right and proper and I hope to build public confidence that the decisions that I make … are decisions made with integrity.”
As far as Shuffield goes, Timaeus says the judge has done a fine job, applying his judicial skills well for the past 20 years.
“Watching him work, I believe that he sleeps well at night, with a clear conscience, knowing that he has done his best to make good decisions,” said Timaeus.
“I have always worked hard to do my best. My wife and I have consistently and persistently taken on projects to serve the people who live here and to give back to this community that has been good to us. I am at an age and stage at which I want to turn all of my attention to serving the community, and we are comfortably positioned to do so.”