With his swearing in on January 4, 2005 as the United States Representative for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District, Judge Ted Poe continues his distinguished career of public service to the Lone Star state.

Judge Poe first made a name for himself in Texas as a straight-talking, no-nonsense Assistant District Attorney and criminal court judge famous nationally and locally for his “shame punishment” of criminals.

Poe’s tough reputation began as a top-notch prosecutor in Harris County. As an assistant district attorney and chief felony prosecutor for 8 years, Poe tried hundreds of cases, even those seeking the death penalty, and never lost a jury trial. When Poe was appointed judge in 1981 by Governor Bill Clements, he continued his dedication to justice and became one of the youngest judges in the State of Texas.
Judge Ted Poe with Governor Bill Clements

A felony court judge in Houston, Texas for more than 22 years, Judge Poe garnered national media attention for his “Poetic Justice” in sentencing criminals. Among his innovative punishments, Poe ordered thieves to carry signs in front of stores from which they stole; required men who abused their wives to publicly apologize on the steps of Houston’s City Hall; commanded sex offenders to place warning signs on their home after serving jail time; and directed murderers to securely place a photo of their victims on the wall of their prison cells creating a daily reminder of their crime.

Poe was one of the first Republican judges elected in Harris County since Reconstruction. His successes and no-nonsense style helped him get re-elected six times. During his career, Judge Poe moved approximately 20,000 cases through the Harris County court system.

In 1999, Judge Poe helped craft pioneering legislation allowing Texas judges to order public notice of a crime in probation cases. His public punishment approach has been showcased through media venues such as "60 minutes," "20/20," "Dateline," "National Geographic," and Australian, German, French, Bulgarian, Japanese, and British newscasts. Frequently, Judge Poe has appeared on FOX News Channel, MSNBC, CNN, and numerous local news broadcasts as a political and legal analyst.

Today, Judge Poe takes his passionate, common-sense approach to problems to Washington, D.C. where he has a commitment to security for the citizens of Congressional District 2 and the entire state of Texas.

Judge Poe believes our nation is built on security: homeland security, economic security, retirement security, and personal security. His carries this dedication to security and a passion for children and victims of crime with him in Congress.

In February 2005, Congressman Poe was one of three members of Congress to travel to Iraq to observe the historic Iraqi elections.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, it gave Congressman Poe great pride to visit polling locations, speak with Iraqi voters and visit with troops from Texas and around the United States while in Iraq.

Congressman Poe has a sustained passion for protecting abused, assaulted, and neglected children. He currently serves on the Board of the National Children’s Alliance in Washington, D.C. Previously, in his over twenty years of public service, Judge Poe has served on numerous boards and committees including: The Children’s Assessment Center of Houston; CASA-Child Advocates; Child Abuse Prevention Council; Parents of Murdered Children; Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E); Roseate Women’s Center for Abused Women; Abilene Christian University; the Houston International Theater School; Northland Christian School; and the Christian School of Kingwood, of which he was a co-founder and former president.

Congressman Poe has obtained significant appointments to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the House Committee on International Relations, and the House Committee on Small Business.

One of Poe’s first actions in Congress was to form the Congressional Victims’ Caucus. This January, Poe founded and co-sponsored the Congressional Victims’ Caucus to represent and advocate before the United States Congress and the Administration on behalf of victims. The Congressional Victims’ Caucus facilitates discussions, organizes meetings, and disseminates information on the causes of victimization to help achieve greater understanding and to formulate sensible solutions.

A prominent speaker, Judge Poe has delivered over 200 training sessions and keynote addresses to law enforcement entities as well as attorneys’, judges’, and private citizens’ organizations in the areas of leadership practices; gang investigations; probation and parole; narcotics; school safety; punishment techniques; victims’ rights; and court docket management. In addition to training, the Judge has taught criminal justice courses at the University of Houston, conducted training at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and at the United States Military Academy (USMA)’s West Point in New York.

Ted Poe earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Abilene Christian University, where he served as class president. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center where he was a member of the Law School Honor Society. A proud member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s C-130 Unit at Houston’s Ellington Air Force Base, Judge Poe’s hobbies include photography and the study of Texas history.

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