In her office, Judge Maria Jackson often faces people who are miffed
about parking tickets. But her compassion and fair-minded approach
sometimes leaves even the guilty singing her praises.

By Paul Beckman

Rain pelted Tanya Gails as she raced from her car to pick up her daughter from elementary school. But when she returned, she found her wheel booted and her car being towed. Gails was left with nothing but raindrops and two more of her children waiting to be picked up at other schools.

“I was upset,” Gails said. “A teacher gave me a ride.”

HPD whisked the car away because of its collection of outstanding parking tickets. Gails, who owned the car for only two days, knew the tickets weren’t her fault. Her efforts to clear up the matter landed her in Judge Maria Jackson’s office.

“She bought it from a dealer and the tickets weren’t taken care of,” said Jackson, a city judge who hears parking violations. “She came in the next morning, and she had all the proof… I got to talking with her and after I looked at all the evidence, I asked the city to release the car.”

The meeting with Jackson resulted in the return of Gails’ car and her dignity as well.

“I just thank God for (Jackson’s) good attitude and smile, because everybody is not bad and I am so glad (she) didn’t treat me rudely or coldly,” Gails wrote.

Jackson hears cases in her office rather than a courtroom. And though she doesn’t don a flowing black robe, she does wear plenty of hats.

“I’m the judge, I’m the jury, the defense attorney, the prosecutor,” Jackson said. “I wear all the hats. So it makes me look at everything in a fair way.”

Jackson’s ensures her evenhandedness transcends big names or positions of power. Most of the people Jackson sees are liable and have to pay their tickets.

“I don’t get into names,” Jackson said. “I don’t focus on that. I just focus on the person.”

And Gails isn’t the only one who has noticed.

The compliments Jackson receives read like a Scout manual. In addition to being called courteous, polite, intelligent, and a “pleasant surprise,” one letter even praised her sense of humor.

But Jackson doesn’t spend her days soaking in praise. A towering workload keeps her on her toes. Jackson may see 80 people on a busy day.

Attorney Brad Morris said he appeared before Jackson twice and came away impressed with her ability to handle the mountain of cases.

“From my prior experiences as an associate judge in family court, I know what it feels like to be faced with a heavy volume of litigants,” Morris said. “Some people just do not have the patience to do the job well. Judge Jackson does.”

But maintaining a sunny disposition can’t be easy. Everybody Jackson sees wants out of a parking ticket. And many aren’t in a good mood.

“It gets pretty rough over here,” said Jackson, who added that she often leans on her faith to stay on an even keel. “I am really close to my family. So I treat people as if everybody is family. We’re all family in one way or another.”

Gladys Squires is a thankful member. The 96 year old drove from Cleveland, Texas, to Houston for a medical checkup last summer.

She parked in what she thought was a handicapped space. But when she returned, a parking ticket adorned her windshield. After reviewing the case, Jackson noticed that nearby spaces were marked with handicapped signs. Squires mistakenly parked in the tow away zone next to them.

Squires paid the $75 fine, but because Jackson deemed it an innocent mistake, she returned $50. Squires let Jackson know that the refunded money would be well spent

“Thanks for your kindness,” Squires wrote. “It will help me with the plumbing expenses this week.”

“Dispensing justice in an impartial and accurate way is a weighty responsibility,” said Mayor Bill White. “Judge Jackson’s determination to see every case to a fair conclusion while adding humanity and compassion is invaluable to Houston’s citizens. I hope all our employees will try to offer the same level of service.”