About Cynthia Stevens Kent

Member, State Bar of Texas since 1977

• Elected Member, American Law Institute (2007-present)
• Member, National Judicial College Capital Bench Book Committee
• Member, Texas Rules of Evidence Committee, State Bar of Texas
• Former Member, Governor's Criminal Justice Advisory Counsel
• Former Member, Oversight Committee for Pattern Jury Charges - State Bar of Texas
• Former Member, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Education Committee
• Former Chair, Texas Center for the Judiciary Capital Bench book Committee
• Past-Chair of Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc. and Past-Chair, Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas (1998/1999)
• Former Member Board of Directors of State Bar of Texas (1998-1999)
• Former Member Board of Directors of Texas Bar Foundation (1998-1999)
• Former Member Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc. Board of Directors (1986-1988 1997-1999)
• Former Texas County Court at Law Judges Association Executive Board (1985-1989)
• Former Member Smith County Bail Bond Board (1985-1988, 1989-2008)
• Smith County Bar Association (1978 to present)
• Former Member Smith County Juvenile Board (1989 to 2008)
• Director for passage of Victim's Rights Amendment for Northeast Texas
• Member, M.A.D.D. East Texas Board of Directors (2009 to present)
• Member, YWAM Advisory Board (2000 to present)

Faculty Instructor:

• Harvard Panel Member - Texas Center for Advanced Judicial Studies, March 1997,
• Houston, Texas Admissibility of Scientific Evidence under Daubert;
• Faculty, Texas Annual Judicial Conferences on Capital Trials and Jury Selection (2012, 2013)
• Faculty, "Advanced Evidence," The National Judicial College (1992-2007)
• Faculty, "Handling Capital Cases" The National Judicial College (1999, 2005, 2006, 2013)
• Faculty, "Conducting the Trial" The National Judicial College (2004, 2006)
• Faculty, "Fourth Amendment, Search and Seizure" The National Judicial College (2004)
• Faculty, Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc.'s College for New Judges (1986-1999)
• Faculty, Texas Regional Judicial Conferences and Special Conferences (1986-2006)
• Faculty, Texas Association for Court Administration Annual Conferences (1990-2002)
• Course Director and speaker for numerous conferences on evidence, ethics, media and the courts, managing trial effectively, expert issues in trial, family violence, due process civil procedure, governmental entity litigation, and handling capital cases in Texas and in other U.S. States.
• Faculty, Texas Forensic Science Seminar, Austin, Texas (2010)
• Special faculty speaker on handling capital and high profile cases for judges in Missouri, South Dakota, Kansas, Louisiana and Military Judges at Maxwell Air Force Base.
• Presented over 150 papers at various judicial, legal and educational seminars, conferences and schools.
• Former Faculty Instructor on "Business Law" and "Criminal Procedure" at Texas College, Tyler, Texas;
• Former Faculty Instructor at University of Texas Criminal Justice Dept. (1992) (2013-2016)

Publications:

• Co-Author of Presiding Over a Capital Case – A Benchbook for Judges (2009)
• National Judicial College, ISBN 978-0-9788287-7-1
• "Handling Capital Cases - Dealing with the Media" Co-authored by Judge Sharen Wilson and Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent Texas Wesleyan Law Review, Winter 2010 publication (Volume 16, Edition 2)
• Author of Texas Benchbook for County Court at Law Judges (1986, 1987)
• Co-Author of Texas Benchbook for District Judges (1989, 1990)
• Co-Author of Texas Benchbook for Capital Cases (2006-2008)
• Author of THESIS: "Daubert Readiness of Texas Judiciary: A Study of The Qualifications, Experience, and Capacity of The Members of the Texas Judiciary to Determine the Admissibility of Expert Testimony Under The Daubert, Kelly, Robinson, And Havner Tests" - Texas - Wesleyan Law Review, Fall 1999

Personal:

Married 43 years to Don W. Kent, a civil litigation defense attorney. Mother of three grown sons. Member and speaker at many local, state, and national community groups and organizations. Recipient of several community and professional honors and awards.