Hon. Julie Kocurek has served as the presiding judge of the 390th District Court of Travis County in Austin since 1999.  Kocurek presides over felony criminal cases and has been Board Certified in Criminal Law for 26 years. Her most significant work has been improving the indigent defense system in Travis County and creating the first Mental Health Court in Travis County. 

After an assassination attempt on her life in November of 2015, 40 days in the hospital and 30 surgeries, Kocurek returned to the bench after only four months.  She came back to the bench because of her passion for being a judge and for helping people change the course of their lives. She worked with the legislature to pass the Judge Julie Kocurek Judicial Security Act and she continues to advocate for judicial security in Texas and across the country. 

Most importantly, Julie Kocurek is a wife and mother of 24-year-old twins.