About Judge Jones
A Native Houstonian
Judge Hazel B. Jones is proud to have been born and reared in Houston, Texas. Judge Jones developed a sense of commitment to the Houston community by witnessing the examples of her parents, the late Mr. & Mrs. Robert and Larnita Jones, who each served as educators and administrators in North Forest ISD and Houston ISD, respectively, for more than thirty years.
Judge Hazel Jones owes a portion of her educational success to the foundation she received at Mary Brantley Smiley High School in North Forest Independent School District, where she was voted “Miss
Smiley” and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Judge Jones received a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a Texas Achievement Award Scholar and became
a lifelong member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority.
Continued Education and Early Career.
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After graduation, Judge Jones worked as a research assistant in the Hematology/Leukemia division of the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; she prepared drug study experiments with cancer cells; she performed DNA extraction for amplification in polymerase chain reactions and isolation in gel electrophoresis. While Judge Jones found her work in cancer research extremely rewarding, she heeded a personal calling to pursue a career in law.
While attending Howard University Law School, in Washington, D.C., Judge Jones worked at the Howard Law Criminal Justice Clinic, defending citizens charged with misdemeanors and representing prisoners in disciplinary hearings. During her summers as a law student, Judge Jones was fortunate to have had the opportunity to hone her legal skills by interning in the 151st Civil District Court, Harris County, TX with the Honorable Judge Carolyn Clause Garcia presiding, and in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas with the Honorable Judge Vanessa Gilmore presiding. In addition, Judge Jones interned in the office of Attorney Wendy A. Cartwright, a solo practitioner, of Bowie, Maryland.
Excellence and Professionalism
Judge Jones is a licensed attorney; she has been admitted to practice law in the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas; and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
Judge Jones has been an active member of Houston’s legal community since 1996 when she first started her legal career; she served the Harris County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney from 1996-2003 obtaining extensive trial experience handling misdemeanor and felony cases which included handling juvenile and family violence cases. From 2003-2005, Judge Jones worked as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas; her primary focus was to pursue the federal government initiative of “Project Safe Neighborhoods” which focused on the prosecution of armed felons and felons carrying firearms during drug trafficking crimes. As a result, Judge Jones prosecuted numerous firearms cases involving convicted felons, in addition to prosecuting cases involving theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee, and false statement to a federal firearms dealer. In 2005, Judge Jones went into private practice and worked primarily as a criminal defense attorney where she ensured that her clients were getting quality representation and that their constitutional rights were being upheld.
Interests
In her spare time, Judge Jones enjoys athletic fitness, interior design, and studying genealogy. Judge Jones also has an affinity for “man’s best friend”; she is a life-long dog owner.
Most importantly, Judge Jones has a strong faith in the Lord, and her faith is the center of her life.
Finally, while Judge Jones feels blessed to have obtained significant educational and career goals, her most heart-felt blessing is having a loving family and life-long sisters and friends.
