About Judge Paula Goodhart

Paula Goodhart is currently the Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law #2. Judge Goodhart grew up in Houston, attending schools in the Pasadena Independent School District. After receiving her undergraduate degree with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, Judge Goodhart received her law degree from the University of Houston. Upon graduation in 1993, Judge Goodhart was hired as an Assistant District Attorney where she served the citizens of Harris County until 2007. While at the District Attorney’s Office, Judge Goodhart tried more than 100 jury trials. She also served as a District Court Chief, was assigned to the Trial Bureau, the Public Affairs Bureau, and Special Crimes. In 2007, she began a private practice focusing on criminal defense. In March of 2010, Judge Goodhart was appointed by the Harris County Commissioner’s Court to fill the judicial vacancy in County Criminal Court at Law #1. In November 2010, Judge Goodhart was elected Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law #1 where she served until December 31, 2018. In November 2022, Judge Goodhart was elected Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law #2.

Judge Goodhart was the fourth judge to preside over Harris County Criminal Court at Law #1 since its inception, and the first female judge elected to that court. Judge Goodhart received the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Judiciary Service Award and the Houston Bar Association’s President’s award for her efforts to restore criminal justice in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Additionally, Judge Goodhart was honored with the Exemplary Judicial Faculty Award from the Texas Center for the Judiciary. Judge Goodhart is also an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow and member of Criminal Justice Class IV and a J. Frank Dobie Hall of Honor recipient.

In addition to her other judicial duties, Judge Goodhart presided over the fourth Harris County SOBER (Saving Ourselves by Education and Recovery) DWI Court for several years. Her SOBER Court served young offenders primarily in their 20s. The goal of the Harris County SOBER Court program is to increase public safety and to reduce long-term costs to the criminal justice system and the community through intense supervision utilizing a multi-disciplinary team effort.