At the request of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Commissioners Court on Tuesday appointed Reginald J. Fox – a local attorney – to serve temporarily as Justice of the Peace, Precinct 7, Place 1.

Hilary Green resigned the position in March after 10 years on the bench.

Fox, who will not seek the position in the General Election, will sit on the bench until mid-November. The recommendation for Fox to serve as interim Justice of the Peace came from a selection committee that carefully evaluated applicants to recommend the best-qualified candidate.

“I’m grateful to the selection committee for its due diligence during this process. Mr. Fox is well-versed in the types of cases that justices of the peace oversee, how the docket is run and is ready to step into this role,” Commissioner Ellis said Tuesday.

Fox, a staff attorney at Lone Star Legal Aid, works in the agency’s Housing and Consumer Unit, where he represents indigent clients in cases such as convictions, disputes less than $10,000 and neighborhood disputes.

He also has worked the mental health docket that Harris County justices of the peace preside over to determine if there is probable cause to detain a person picked up on a mental health warrant. In addition, he has experience in landlord-tenant law, which is a large part of the JP court’s docket.

Fox received his undergraduate degree in business administration from Wiley College and law degree from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

Each political party will nominate a candidate for the Nov. 6 election by a convention of the precinct chairs representing the precincts located in Precinct 7. The winner will take the office permanently after the votes are canvassed.

“Ultimately, the voters will decide who will replace Judge Green in November. Until that time, I am confident that Mr. Fox will serve as interim justice of the peace with integrity, fairness and efficiency, and I’m grateful for his willingness to serve,” Commissioner Ellis said.