Judge John Donovan

An alumnus of the South Texas College of Law, John Donovan is Judge of the 113th District Court in Harris County, Texas. Elected to the position in November 2010, Judge Donovan started his term in January 2011. Prior to this appointment, he served as Judge of the 61st District Court from January 1997 through December 2008, and Director of Judicial and Legal Issues for Judge Ed Emmett from 2009 through 2010. During his service as presiding Judge of the 61st District Court, Judge Donovan was Chairman for the Special Dockets Committee and the Rules Committee for the Board of Civil Judges. Laying the groundwork for his career, John Donovan received his JD from the South Texas College of Law, graduating cum laude. After earning his degree, he became licensed by the State Bar of Texas in 1985. He practiced with various legal firms over the next 11 years, including Archer and Associates, Urquhart and Hassell, and Williams & Associates. As an attorney, John Donovan represented individual and corporate clients. From 1989 to 1990, he was a member Litigator of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, a Houston Subcommittee of the State Bar of Texas. Throughout his career, John Donovan has been a member of several professional organizations, such as the Houston Bar Foundation, Houston Young Lawyer’s Foundation, Houston Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education Committee, and the Historical Committee. He was recognized by the Houston Police Officers’ Union in 2000 and P.O.L.I.C.E., Inc., in 1998 and 2008 as Judge of the Year. Aside from his busy professional schedule, John Donovan is a Lector at St. Vincent de Paul Church, a coach of local youth athletic teams, and trustee for the West University Elementary School Foundation; he has volunteered regularly in the Houston Public School System since 1997.