Susan Patricia Baker

BAKER, SUSAN PATRICIA (1949~) Susan Patricia Baker, Judge of the 306th Judicial District of Texas, was born in Houston, Texas on August 2, 1949, to Andrew Zachariah and Jean Margaret Attwood Baker. After moving to Galveston with her family, Baker attended Galveston public schools and graduated from Ball High School in 1967.

After high school, Baker graduated from the University of Houston at Clear Lake City with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and later received her Juris Doctorate from the South Texas College of Law.

While working towards her law degree, Baker worked as a probation officer for Galveston County. After obtaining her law degree, she went into private practice until she succeeded her father, Andrew Z. Baker, as Judge of the 306th Judicial District of Texas, a Family District Court.

After being elected to the bench in 1990, Baker, a board certified specialist in Family Law and an advocate for children, was instrumental in founding the Galveston County program of the Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, which was designed to represent the interests of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings. She was also active in founding the Galveston County programs of Operation Outreach, a prison visitation program for delinquent youth, and For Kid's Sake, a parenting program for parents in the court system.

In 1997, Judge Baker received two grants to reform the court system in child abuse and neglect cases, thus making the courts of Galveston County a model program for the State of Texas. In 1999, she also founded the Texas Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, or AFCC, which is an organization of professionals collaborating to improve the lot of children and families in the court system. In 2000 and 2001, Judge Baker served as President of the Texas Chapter of the AFCC. In July, 2002, she was awarded the Helping Hands Award by the Women's Resource and Crisis Center.

An avid writer, Judge Baker has published three books. Her first, a mystery novel, "My First Murder, A Mavis Davis Mystery," was published in 1989. Her other works have stemmed from her legal career. "Heart of Divorce: Advice from a Judge" is the result from Baker's years of working with families and children in crisis, and witnessing the heartbreak and meanness of litigation. Her latest book, "Murdered Judges of the 20th Century," came about while she was researching courthouse security in Galveston County.

Because of her literary career, Judge Baker has served as Regional Vice-president of the Southwest Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Association of Crime Writers, International Women Writers Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and Authors Guild.

After leaving the bench on December 31, 2002, Baker retired to the Texas Hill Country, where she became a full time writer and is attending The University of New Orleans, where she is working on a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction.

Judge Baker is married to John E. Hunger and has two daughters from a previous marriage.

Information taken from: http://www.susanpbaker.com.