Grand jury no-bills judge over backdating complaints

Judge Denise Pratt speaks to the media after a grand jury gave her a no-bill in a case where she was accused of tampering with court documents, Dec. 20, 2013 in Houston. Judge Denise Pratt speaks to the media after a grand jury gave her a no-bill in a case where she was accused of tampering with court documents, Dec. 20, 2013 in Houston. Photo: Eric Kayne, For The Chronicle Photo: Eric Kayne, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Grand jury no-bills judge over backdating complaints 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A Harris County grand jury declined to indict state District Judge Denise Pratt, her lawyer Terry Yates said Friday. The freshman Republican judge had been under investigation for allegedly backdating court records to cover up tardy rulings.

The investigation was sparked by a complaint sent to the Harris County District Attorney's office and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in October by Webster family lawyer Greg Enos.

Pratt, through Yates, repeatedly has denied any wrongdoing.

Enos said in an e-mail that Pratt's backdating of court orders "was always just the tip of the iceberg of problems with her, but that was what happened to arguably be a crime."

"I did my duty to bring it to the DA's attention and I do not regret doing so," he said.

As a result of the investigation, several family court lawyers have sought to recuse Pratt from their cases. A pair of visiting judges approved nine of those requests earlier this week.

Enos filed a similar complaint last year against a Galveston County judge that preceded an investigation by the state attorney general and multiple indictments related to judicial misconduct that led to the judge's suspension and eventual resignation.