| Pat Lykos | |
|---|---|
| District Attorney of Harris County, Texas | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Ken Magidson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1943 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Bill Allen |
| Residence | Houston, Texas (USA) |
| Alma mater | University of Houston South Texas College of Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox |
Patricia R. "Pat" Lykos (born 1943) is an American lawyer who is the District Attorney of Harris County, Texas, United States. She defeated Democrat Brad Bradford in the general election on November 4, 2008.[1] She survived the March 2008 primary, coming in second and receiving enough votes to qualify for the April 2008 runoff election. In the April 8, 2008, runoff, she defeated prosecutor Kelly Siegler 52.6% to 47.3%.[2] The Harris County District Attorney position became open after the former DA Chuck Rosenthal resigned in response to scandal that happened after racial and sexist messages and jokes were found on county computers, under Rosenthal's control.[3]
Lykos, a graduate of the University of Houston and South Texas College of Law, has dedicated her professional career to the administration of justice, starting as a Houston police officer, working her way through college and law school, and then in her own private practice as a litigator. In 1980, the Harris County Commissioners' Court appointed her to the newly-created bench of County Criminal Court No. 10, and she won election that year, becoming the first Republican elected to a Harris County criminal court bench.
In 1981, Republican Governor Bill Clements appointed her as Judge of the 180th State Criminal District Court, where she presided over more than 20,000 criminal cases during 14 years on the court. Lykos successfully ran for re-election to the criminal court for three terms, in 1982, 1986 and 1990. For the past decade, Pat has served as a senior district judge, serving as a special assignments judge, and since 2001, as Director of Special Projects for County Judge Robert Eckels, and Director of Judicial and Legal Issues for County Judge Ed Emmett.
She was the former chief judge of the Harris County criminal district courts, served three terms as President of the Retired, Senior and Former Judges of Texas, and taught in programs for the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Texas. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Houston Bar Foundation, of which she is a founding member. She has been an adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law, and taught at the National Judicial College.
She has appeared on television news programs such as Nightline, 48 Hours and Crime in America. She is the recipient of many awards, including “State District Judge of the Year”, awarded by the Harris County Deputy Sheriffs Association.