HOUSTON (TIP): An Indian American attorney, Shampa Mukerji, is running for a judge seat in the US state of Texas.

Ms. Mukerji launched her candidacy for the seat in the 269th Civil District Court of Harris County, Texas.

The Democratic candidate said she is running for the seat because she believes she can make a great contribution to the civil courts in the county.

“I will uphold the laws of the state of Texas and be fair and equitable to all parties that come before me,” she said on her campaign site.

“I believe in the Seventh Amendment, the right to a trial by jury and access to the courts for all,” she said.

Mukerji has received the endorsement from several people and organizations, including Harris County Labor Assembly COPE, AFL-CIO, and South Asia Bar Association.

Mukerji said she is a believer in equality and wants “to make a difference in my community in the most effective way.”

“I have always been a true believer that the Constitutions of the United States and Texas create an equal playing field for all individuals and entities. I believe the next step in my journey is to make a difference in my community in the most effective way I am able and bring a unique perspective to the local judiciary,” she said.

Daughter of immigrant parents from India, Mukerji is a native Houstonian. For over a decade, she has successfully practiced in multiple areas of civil litigation representing individuals, corporations, small business owners, and other civil litigants. Mukerji has worked for the Mostyn Law Firm, where she focused on first party insurance litigation. Thereafter, she moved to the Mukerji Law Firm where she manages over 500 personal injury cases.

“When Shampa told me she was running for Judge in Harris County, I immediately knew that the people of Harris County would have such a huge asset at the courthouse,” said Rene M. Sigman, Attorney, and Regional Litigation Manager, Merlin Law Group, P.A. “Shampa is the perfect fit for the job. I worked with Shampa for 6 years representing individuals and businesses in Harris County fighting to get them justice at the courthouse.”

Mukerji attended Northwestern University in Illinois where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Communications in three years. She then returned home to Houston to attend the University of Houston Law Center. In law school, Mukerji served on the Houston Journal of Health Law & Policy as an Editor and as Chief Justice of the Honor Court.