Community Digest | Young County Judge

The 2022 Midterms captivated Americans with upsets and narrow elections all over the country. Throughout this, we had important elections within our own community. On Nov. 8 2022, acquiring 3,232 out of 5,926 votes, Win Graham was elected Young Country Judge. 

Although most high school students can’t vote and are possibly leaving Young Country in only a few years, it’s still important to understand the role this figure plays in our community. 

So… what is County Judge?

”The Country Judge is a big overlapping set of responsibilities,” Win Graham says, ”First and foremost, the County Judge is the presiding officer of the Commissioners Court.” Being in charge of the Commissioners Court, the governing body of the county, isn’t the only thing County Judge is responsible for. From presiding over Misdemeanor Court to Chief Budgeting Officer, the County Judge is responsible for overseeing and being in charge of many things that help our community run smoothly. 

Part of the broad set of judicial responsibilities that the County Judge has includes going to court every week. This consists of overseeing misdemeanors. Misdemeanor Court handles Class A, B, and C misdemeanors including DWIs, harassment, possession of marijuana, and unlawful carrying of weapons. ”Also through the court, you have juveniles which unfortunately is becoming a bigger and bigger problem that the court is seeing.” County Judge is responsible for dealing with juveniles, their placement after arrest, and finding lawyers within a few hours of their arrest. 

County Judge also probates wills. This means they have the responsibility of deciding whether the estate will be overseen by the court or processed independently. 

Economic development for the county is one of Graham’s main goals, “Trying to find businesses and investments to come into our county. That’s something I passionately want to work on.” Graham says, “The county can partner with the city of Graham’s economic development groups and be accessible for when they have an idea that they bring to the county, they know they are going to have someone that will eagerly jump in and help. And the same thing with Olney.” 

Housing is another important aspect of our community that Graham plans to focus on, “Graham has a housing problem, Olney has a housing problem. Those are huge problems that they have so I want to help them try to find solutions.” Whether that is bringing in assistance or brainstorming solutions in local meetings, Graham plans to help create a solution for the housing problems in our community.

Preparation for this role isn’t an easy task either. “I am spending a lot of time preparing to take over the courtroom duties of the County Judge.” He taking classes to better his understanding of the role and it’s responsibilities. He’s also being mentored by current judges, “I have been observing Judge Bullock and Bristow’s courtrooms and both judges have graciously answered questions and offered advice on how to get started.”

When asked why he wanted to run for this position, Graham stated, “It’s going to be a wonderful experience and I think there are going to be opportunities to make a difference.” Graham also says, “I ran for this because I have a strong belief in community service. And I absolutely love this community and I love this community that we live in. And I feel strongly that if we want to have a good community we need to have good people in decision-making roles. And it’s hard to ask someone to take on those responsibilities if I’m not willing to take a turn and take those responsibilities on. 100% community service is why I ran for this position.”

Win Graham will be sworn in as County Judge on January 1, 2023 at 3:00 pm.