My name is Steph Gardella, I am running for Justice of the Peace for Denton County's Precinct 2, which includes Little Elm, West Frisco, and The Colony.

In case you are unsure about what a justice of the peace does, they preside over cases involving misdemeanors, small civil disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, and truancies. They also conduct inquests and perform marriage ceremonies.

Like many, I was surprised to learn that the State of Texas does not require justices of the peace to follow legal precedent. That means that two members of the same community, in the same courtroom, can appear before the same justice of the peace for the same issue, and receive different adjudications based on bias. This alone should make you sit up and pay attention to who is elected to serve on the JP bench.

I am running because without integrity, nothing works.

Those who participate in our justice system have a constitutional expectation that the court will administer justice fairly and impartially. But over and over I have heard stories of citizens in our community being denied equal treatment - and at times even being denied basic human dignity- because of the current court’s policies.

So, I decided to take on this fight to bring integrity to this bench.

My interest is to contribute to the common good, with the constitution as the highest authority in my service to this community.

Lady Justice is blind. There is no place for partisan politics or religious ideology in a courtroom. When I am elected, you can expect my courtroom to champion civil rights and social justice.

But to get elected, I need your help. Please donate, every little bit gets us closer to bringing integrity to this bench.

This fundraiser is not currently accepting any donations.