Ector County Court of Law Judge Brooke Hendricks-Green said she has literal and figurative shoes to fill.
The 38-year-old ran for public office after longtime judge Jim Bobo announced he would retire when his term ended in 2018.
Hendricks-Green ran unopposed, won the seat and her tenure as the Ector County Court of Law judge began at the start of January 2019.
"I have absolutely loved it," Hendricks-Green said about her first six months as a judge. "Everybody has been so kind and so helpful. Judge (Jim) Bobo has been very gracious in helping me with the transition. He sat down with me before I started."
On June 29, Hendricks-Green and 19 other Odessans will be honored during the third annual Odessa Under 40 Awards Gala at the MCM Grande Hotel and FunDome. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.
Hendricks-Green said she is thankful for the opportunity to accept this award.
"I’m very honored," Hendricks-Green said. "There are some amazing receipents. I’m in great company and I’ve very humbled to be recognized."
Hendricks-Green graduated from Permian High School in 1999. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from McMurry University in 2002 and then graduated from Texas Tech Law School in 2006.
While she was attending Texas Tech Law School, Hendricks-Green received an internship with the Midland County District Attorney’s Office. When she graduated, the office offered her a position as the juvenile prosecutor in 2006.
Hendricks-Green worked for the Midland County DA’s Office for four years. She then worked for Ector County District Attorney’s Office for four years and during that time became Ector County District Attorney Bobby Bland’s first assistant.
Hendricks-Green said she wanted to be an attorney her whole life, but the end goal was to be a judge. She took the plung when Judge Bobo announced that he wouldn’t run for re-election and he told her that she should run for the position.
"It all fell into place and I’ve always wanted to give back and help and be in public service," Hendricks-Green said. "This is a wonderful venue to do that."
Deanna Webster, court adminstor for Hendricks-Green, said she worked for Judge Bobo for a little more than five years. She said there haven’t really been any big changes from Judge Bobo to Judge Hendricks-Green.
Webster said she worked with Hendricks-Green when she was with the Ector County District Attorney’s Office and admitted it was a little nerve-wracking to work for a new judge. Yet, Webster said Hendricks-Green made her feel at ease from the start.
"She makes you feel very secure and taken care of," Webster said. "She cares about the workplace, but she also cares about myself as a person. She wants to make our job smooth and easygoing."
Hendricks-Green serves as the lone juvenile judge for Ector County.
She said many of the juveniles she sees in her courtroom are good kids that made dumb decisions. Hendricks-Green said she enjoys the chance to help those juveniles and their families get through the criminal justice system.
"I think if we could have intervened earlier in their lives, they could have turned it around," Hendricks-Green said. "I’m very hopeful of our juvenile system that we can try to change their behavior at an early age and help them become successful contributing members of society."
