Who are HOU?: Meet Steve Duble, Harris County justice of the peace working for accessibility

This Q&A is an installment of Houston Landing's Who are HOU? series that aims to tell stories celebrating the melting pot of communities, cultures and experiences that define this city. From personal histories to challenges to everyday triumphs, each story is told in the words of the person being interviewed to capture their voices and the journeys that shape Houston's identity.

When you envision a Justice of the Peace, Judge Steve Duble likely isn't the image that comes to mind.

You won't often see the Harris County Precinct 1, Place 2 judge sporting a tie, much less the traditional, draping robe often synonymous with those occupying his level of office.

"I felt weird in a robe," Duble said. "It's sort of like the British lawyers or barristers who wear wigs, I think it's unnecessary pomp and circumstance. And there's no legal requirement that I know of."

Duble's preference for a casual button down and slacks speaks to his general approach since he was elected in November 2022 to lead the court that handles small claims civil matters and low-level misdemeanors: "I want to be accessible, and not intimidating," he said.

Duble recently sat down with the Houston Landing for an interview about his story as a native Houstonian, and his approach to his work. The following Q&A was lightly edited for clarity.

Why did you decide to run for Harris County Justice of the Peace?

I thought I was getting inside information that my predecessor, who had been in position since '89 — the year I graduated law school — decided to run for higher office. Somebody let me know that, and I thought it was inside information. But apparently a lot of people got that memo, and I ended up in a hotly-contested five way primary, which, had I known that was what I was getting into, I'm not sure I would have done it.

I'm glad I did, but running for office is much more than you can imagine.

Give me a glimpse into exactly how much work that is.

I basically quit my job and totally devoted myself to it for a number of months. The beginning process is a lot of groups that you have to meet with, seeking endorsements. And then it's just a lot of street politics, going door-to-door — but you don't just randomly go door-to-door, you use a van and you do targeted stuff, and you go to the houses of people that show up for primaries.

And then I got into a runoff and, and the runoff is a whole new election. It's starting over. You can't assume any of those people will show up for you again.

What got you into law in the first place?

That was probably an accident. I went to TCU in Fort Worth and I majored in political science. My senior year, I did a few on-campus interviews, but nothing really interested me. I didn't know what I wanted to do. A bunch of my friends were going to law school. I was at the library one night and my friend was taking a LSAT (Law School Admission Test). I was just bored and I took the prep test and thought, "Well, I can do this."

I signed up at the last possible moment you can take the LSAT. I had to go to Waco to take it. And then I got into law school and I thought, "Well, I have nothing else to do. I'll go to law school."

You're a native Houstonian, correct? What has kept you in Houston throughout your life?

I am. I grew up in Sharpstown, and then my parents moved out to Sugar Land, where they still live now. My brother had gone to TCU in Fort Worth, and my older cousins had gone there. And I just followed in their footsteps and went there. My kids looked at colleges all over the country and made decisions on where to go — I just ended up at TCU and enjoyed it. I love Fort Worth.

What about Houston has made you want to stay?

I came back because I got into SMU law school and UH law school. UH was much cheaper and I had family here. Then I got a job. Even through law school, I wasn't sure I wanted to practice law. I ended up getting a job at a firm, got married, had kids, and became a partner at that law firm. I was there for 20 years or more. And kids will get you rooted in a community pretty heavily.

For those that don't know, what does a Justice of the Peace do?

There's three or four main types of cases. You have your class C misdemeanors, which are traffic violations. Highest one can be $500. You've got evictions. All landlord-tenant cases have to go through a JP court. if the property is in that precinct. It has to go to one of the JP's in the precincts. It can be a multi-million dollar case. We don't rule on the dollar part ... but we'll rule on the right to possession.

The other big one is debt claims. We have a tremendous amount of debt claims. I found out the debt claims make up most litigation in the United States now, I'm talking about credit card debt type stuff. Small claims is the big one, our jurisdiction is up to $20,000 dollars and that's people suing to try and get their security deposit back from an apartment or people fighting over a haircut. It's all sorts of stuff. It's Judge Judy, you know, interesting stuff. But people are seeking justice and it's the type of work where you shouldn't need a lawyer, and they're fun cases.

There's some other things that we do, like help out on the mental health document ... and then I have some random dangerous dog cases and animal cruelty cases.

You say you get some interesting cases, like people fighting over a haircut. What is the wackiest case you can think of?

You know, I wish I could comment on it, but it's a pending one.

Okay, second wackiest.

It's all sorts of stuff. I can't even begin to tell you. People fighting over a pet, like they were in a relationship and one of them took the pet ... People fighting over a lot of things, where they can't get the relief they're seeking.

But a lot of times it's important for people just to be heard, and let them be heard. A lot of family stuff, sadly. It's not quirky or funny, but a surprising amount of people suing other family members.

How do the duties of a Justice of the Peace translate into your day-to-day? Walk me through what you do on a typical day.

I rely on a staff of about 20 clerks that are highly trained. They set up the dockets and get everything ready.

We do different stuff on different days. So yesterday, I think we had a debt collection docket, we had a small claims trial docket. Some days we just do evictions. Tuesdays are usually our eviction day. And then we have jury trials on Wednesdays in the afternoon, and usually have a motion docket Wednesday mornings. So it's a different set of cases every day.

There's a surprising amount of policy work you can do in this job, operating within the law, and working with a lot of people that are trying to change things for the better. I work with groups like Texas Appleseed. I work with policy people in the Commissioners Courts. All sorts of people you get to work with and try to improve things.

How did growing up gay in Texas influence your career trajectory?

So I didn't grow up gay. Well, I guess I was, but I was closeted. I didn't come out until I was 39 years old. I was married until the divorce was final at 39 or 40. We remained friends in the process, my ex-wife. .. Of course, we had three kids, two were in high school at the time, one in grade school. But we've remained close throughout, and close to her and her husband and all the kids.

So I can't really tell you what it was like to be young and gay in the '80s, because like when I was at TCU, no one was out. People just were not out in college. I ended up getting married and led a straight life and was very involved in church and school. You just get caught up and end up hanging out with people that are similar to you. People that have kids.

I can tell you what it's like to be out and gay in your 40s. I've heard many women say if they got reincarnated, they'd want to come back as a gay man. 'Cause it's fun.

So you are the first openly gay Justice of the Peace in Harris County. Do you think you have faced any challenges because of that, and does it change how you approach this work?

You know, It doesn't really affect my job. It's not what I lead with. I mean, it's just that I happen to be gay.

In your opinion, what makes Houston so unique?

I guess the people and the openness and the friendliness. The restaurants, good food. I like the different cultures. And definitely the people.