William ‘Cruz’ Shaw III will be the first African American male to serve as a Bexar County District Judge and will be presiding over the 436th District Court. He will be sworn in on January 1st, 2023. Shaw will succeed incumbent Judge Lisa K. Jarrett who has held the position since 2009. Judge William “Cruz” Shaw has made huge contributions and strides in our community and will now make history.
A native of Houston, and graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Shaw had previously served as associate judge prior to the election, joining in 2018, after running and successfully becoming the City Council representative for San Antonio’s District 2.
Shaw attributes his trajectory to one word: Focus. “Nothing was given to me,” Shaw says, “so I treated every opportunity like it was my only chance and appreciative of all the opportunities afforded to me. As a black man, without a safety net or a fallback, I couldn’t afford to squander any chance for success. Always acknowledging that I have been able to walk my path with the assistance of many others.”
The 436 District Court presides predominantly over juvenile cases, where many of the individuals are young people looking for a second chance. When asked about the significance of what his win would mean for the many black and brown youth who pursue their education and careers, he says, “Representation matters and has an enormous influence on our youth. While I’m privileged to be in this role, I want us to get to a point where this is no longer news. As the father of a young daughter, and someone who works with youth, I want them to see this as the norm and not the exception.”
The juvenile crime rate in San Antonio is on the rise. According to a 2022 report from News4SA, “during the pandemic and over the past decade, violent juvenile crimes were decreasing, but they are now reversing course. Throughout the first 2 months of 2021 versus the first 2 months of 2022, murders were down but sexual assaults are up 17%, robberies up 129%, and aggravated assaults up 133%.” With recent stories breaking about young people engaging in mass shootings, there is no doubt that today’s youth deal with a different set of day-to-day challenges.”
For Shaw, this motivates him to work harder to invest in the young community at large. He says, “My priority will be continuing to work with specialty courts, family enrichment courts, and working with first and second-time drug offenders in pre-adjudication drug court. These courts are critical to providing youth and families with access to resources and a greater opportunity of success.” Shaw will also focus on “re-entry docket transitions, which transitions youth from placement back into the community where they can contribute and work toward a better future.”
Though Shaw may be the first, he will do everything in his power to ensure that he is not the last. “We all have difficulty in our lives, made mistakes or bad choices, but that shouldn’t determine the trajectory of our lives” he says, “When young people see me on the bench, they see someone who looks like them and understands their experience. They see what ‘can be’”.
Sharing his experiences and thoughts on this weeks ‘Beyond the Gavel’ Podcast w/ Judge Ron Rangel, Judge Shaw gives you an on air conversation about his experiences and plans as a District Judge for Juvenile Court here in Bexar County. This episode will air this Thursday on your favorite podcast platform. You may visit www.beyondthegavelpodcast.com to learn more.
