Three Indian Americans sworn in as Fort Bend County Judges

National Briefs US

Three Indian-American Democrats have taken oath as Fort Bend County Judges. 

In a ceremony on Sunday, Juli A Mathew, KP George, and Surendran K Pattel were sworn in as Fort Bend County judges, along with other newly elected and re-elected officials. 

Juli A Mathew, the first Indian-American woman to be elected to a judge’s bench in the US four years ago, was re-elected for a second term after defeating her Republican challenger Andrew Dornburg. 

Mathew, a native of Thiruvalla in Kerala, was sworn in via videoconferencing and will continue to serve as presiding judge for a period of four years. 

She was voted the Administrative Judge for the County Courts by her peers and also heads the first Juvenile Intervention and Mental Health Court. 

George, the first Indian-American to hold an office in Fort Bend County, won a second term as the county’s judge in a narrow race in the November elections. He hails from Kerala’s Kakkodu city. 

The county also welcomed District Court Judge Pattel, who edged Republican Edward M. Krenek in the race for the 240th Judicial District in November. 

The 52-year-old, a native of Kerala, with an experience of over 25 years has been a Texas attorney since 2009, prior to which he was a lawyer in India, where he earned his law Degree in 1995 from the University of Calicut.