About
Judge Mike Schneider is a native Texan. He was born in Galveston and his family moved to Houston when he was an infant. He’s been a part of our community ever since.
Judge Schneider, who is seeking a full term as Judge of the 315th Juvenile District Court in the November 7th General Election, graduated from St. Thomas High School and earned a Political Science degree from Texas A&M University.
He started studying law at South Texas College of Law and took a break to become a visiting student at the University of Texas School of Law before resuming his studies at South Texas and obtaining his law degree.
He then went to work for then – Harris County Attorney Michael P. Fleming in 1999 and his passion for public service was ignited when he was assigned to the Children’s Protective Division.
Judge Schneider worked as the chief civil prosecutor in the 313th Juvenile District Court, where he represented children and the State of Texas in custody cases involving children who are neglected and physically and sexually abused.
Judge Schneider developed solid working relationships with the agencies dedicated to protecting children. Their mission to protect the most vulnerable members of our society has become his passion.
His dedication, energy and love of the law caught the attention of his superiors, who promoted Judge Schneider to Deputy Division Chief of the Children’s Protective Division only a little more than two years after he joined the office.
He was also named general counsel to the Harris County Children’s Assessment Center (CAC) – a public-private partnership that provides a wide range of award-winning and vital legal and counseling services to sexually abused children.
Under the leadership of Mike Stafford, who now serves as Harris County Attorney, Judge Schneider was also made head of the office’s CAC Partnership Team.
Before taking the bench, Judge Schneider tried more than 200 contested cases in Harris County juvenile and family courts – cases that involved making sure that abused children are safe.
And by supervising a staff of more than 35 with roughly 3,000 active child protective custody cases pending in local courts, Judge Schneider also obtained extensive administrative experience while working as a civil prosecutor. That experience has served and will continue to serve voters if he’s elected to a full term as Judge of the 315th Juvenile District Court on November 7th.
Judge Schneider has also been a tireless advocate for children in Austin, where he fought for tougher laws to protect abuse victims and families to state lawmakers.
Judge Schneider fought for laws to make it easier to use the latest video technology for medical experts to testify in abuse cases. He also fought for legislation to make it easier to serve legal notices on absentee fathers. Both bills were signed into law by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who later appointed Judge Schneider to serve as the Judge of the 315th District Court in April.
Judge Schneider was appointed to the bench after his victory in the Harris County Republican Primary in March and after the Honorable Kent Ellis retired before the end of his term.
Judge Schneider has already streamlined procedures in the 315th and aggressively tackled the court’s docket. He has also spoken up for taxpayers by insisting that public money be wisely spent on safe and efficient juvenile facilities and courtrooms.
Judge Schneider is a member in good standing with the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Bar Association’s Juvenile Law Section and the Texas Young Lawyers Association.
He once served as a volunteer instructor for Child Advocates, Inc. and was a member of the Interdisciplinary Child Abuse Task Force at Memorial Hermann Hospital and the CAC’s Long Range Planning Committee and Partner Council.
Judge Schneider is a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and works as a volunteer for Citizens for Animal Protection and the Homeless Pet Placement League.
He has been a featured speaker at national conferences on child sexual abuse and his work on abuse cases has been recognized by Child Advocates.