Harris County DA's office request to remove judge from domestic violence case denied

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A judge has denied a request from the Harris County District Attorney's office to remove a judge from a domestic violence case she has been presiding over.

Prosecutors had claimed Judge Melissa Morris' comments and facial expressions showed that she is biased and unfit to preside over the case.

Other attorneys argued the judge was merely doing her job while presiding.

Aaron Wright was sentenced to 50 years in prison for shooting his ex wife back in 2021.

Then, in June, Wright's attorneys filed a motion for a retrial.

Prosecutors responded by filing a motion to get Judge Melissa Morris off the case, alleging the judge had been biased in the original trial, and claiming she had questioned the victim's credibility and complained about prosecutors during Wright's trial.

Prosecutors said they didn't want the same judge on a potential retrial.

On Tuesday, another judge was brought in.

Judge Susan Brown ruled Judge Morris would not be recused.

So, now that it's clear that this judge will continue to preside over this case, she has until 11:59 pm Tuesday to decide whether she will be granting a retrial.

"Every day in this courthouse, judges get angry. Every day in this courthouse, judges determine the credibility of victims and they have their opinions," appellate attorney Stanley Schneider said. "They're human beings, and as long as a judge acts from the bench and reacts from what happens in the courtroom, it's perfectly fine."

ABC13 reached out to the district attorney's office so that we could include reaction and perspective from prosecutors, but they declined to speak on camera.