Trauma-Informed Judicial Perspectives of Domestic Violence Cases

Trauma-informed judges who understand domestic violence from a survivor's perspective are becoming more common but are not yet commonplace. In this episode, we talk with Judge Michael Denton, a veteran judge with decades of experience in both trauma-informed judicial training and practical experience navigating domestic violence cases about the benefits of the trauma-informed approach and the development of related specialty courts.

Michael Denton has served Travis County for more than 30 years, first as a young lawyer prosecuting offenders in County courts; later as the Director of the Trial Division for the Travis County Attorney’s Office, and; for the past 20 years, as Judge for Travis County’s domestic violence court (County Court-at-Law #4).  Bringing passion and commitment to this service, Judge Denton's advocacy began during his time as a volunteer for Austin’s (then) Rape Crisis Center, answering crisis calls and visiting the hospital to help survivors and family members.  In the 1990s, Judge Denton was Co-Chair of the Austin-Travis County Domestic Violence Task Force. Working across agency lines, including law enforcement and non-profit organizations, the Task Force reformed how Travis County approached domestic violence, including the creation of a specialty court for domestic violence.  Judge Denton has also trained other judges through the Texas Council on Family Violence and authored a domestic violence chapter of the Texas Bench Book.