HOUSTON – Kelli Johnson, the high-profile Harris County Judge who presides over the 178 District Court, has been in the spotlight over the past few weeks after she was charged with driving while intoxicated.
KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun has learned the judge’s cases have since been reassigned.
“Dockets in the 178th District Court have been reassigned, however, Judge Johnson remains the elected official over that court. I have no answer at this time as to how long dockets will remain reassigned,” said Amanda Cain, Administrative Office of the District Courts DCA Communications Director.
While it is unclear why Judge Johnson has had her cases reassigned, she was on the bench overseeing cases as of last Friday, June 19.
KPRC 2 confirms Johnson’s longtime court reporter, Gail Rolen, filed a complaint against Johnson telling Balogun, “Enough is enough.”
Rolen couldn’t go into detail about the complaint or share its details, but adds, “completely out of control and no one knows what to do but watch her self-destruct.”
In June, Judge Johnson was pulled over by an officer with the Houston Police Department, where she was charged with driving while intoxicated. It is a misdemeanor charge.
Days after she was charged and posted bond, her attorney, Christopher L. Tritico, sent a statement to KPRC 2 saying his client was not intoxicated when she was pulled over in the 11600 block of Hempstead Road by the HPD officer, and that she volunteered to take a breath test.
Tritico said his client’s breath test came back 0.0, which means no alcohol was found in her system.
Before that, the 52-year-old was pulled over by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. This was at the time she was overseeing the Brian Coulter trial. A field sobriety test was administered and she was issued a speeding warning.
Judge Johnson has presided over many cases in her judicial capacity, from state jail felonies to capital murder cases including the AJ Armstrong trial.
She presided over all three of Armstrong’s cases. The first two attempts by the prosecution were declared mistrials in 2019 and 2022 because the juries couldn’t reach a verdict either time.
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