In the running for Justice of the Peace Precinct 1&3 is Julie Sims, who has been serving as the current JP 1&3 for the past year after the retirement of Judge Goodman.
Born and raised in Pampa, Julie has served the community and surrounding areas in a number of different capacities.
After obtaining a degree in Criminal Justice in May of 1998, she would join the Lefors Fire Department, and it was there she would take an interest in Emergency Management Services. She would complete her basics to work full time for Guardian EMS that covered Pampa at that time before it would transition to Pampa EMS in 2009, and then ultimately transition to Hemphill County EMS in 2019.
She worked in Pampa for a while before going to work in Borger for their EMS for eight years until coming back to work for Pampa.
Julie said that while working for EMS, she would see anything from a stubbed toe to a cardiac arrest and every day would bring a different challenge. Because the EMS works in conjunction with the Emergency Room, Julie would gain experience working within the ER, learning how to provide care to patients both physically and mentally.
With all these years of experience in a high-stress and demanding profession, having strong communication skills and even stronger community ties, and a degree in Criminal Justice under her belt, her next journey would land her in the role of Gray County Justice of the Peace.
Julie had a little bit of experience in the courtroom, working briefly as a Municipal Court Judge in Lefors, but she knew there would be a lot to learn. With help from Judge Goodson and JP 2&4 Connie Ogle, and with an eagerness and willingness to learn, Julie was sworn in on January 1, 2025 and quickly got to work.
It didn’t take long for Julie to get comfortable in the seat, although she admits the past year has been quite the learning experience. But little did she know how much her time spent working for EMS would prepare her for the JP role, both on a knowledgeable level and an emotional level.
“I do magistration which is going to the jail, reading their rights and setting bond. I do small claims which is up to $20,000 and we do a lot of debt claims like credit card debt. I do quite a bit of evictions, which are tough especially during the holidays, but you have to put your feelings aside and be completely neutral. I have unattended deaths that are not on hospice or within the hospital for at least 24 hours. I’ve done around 40 deaths since I started, and with unattended deaths, I can look at a medical history and now be able to conclude the cause of death from having that knowledge of being a paramedic.”
But aside from the professional setting, Julie’s experience with her own family and kids, as well as numerous friends she’s made along the way, has granted her the compassion needed when it comes to the staggering truancy cases that come across her desk.
“Several years ago, they decriminalized truancy and put it on parents. They file on parents now and we go to court. I’ll have a courtroom full every time we do it. When it gets to the junior high and high school kids, I’m tougher on them. I will question the kids because I request they come in. I want to know why they’re not going to school, not mom and dad saying they can’t get them up. I want to ask the kid why they aren’t getting up for school. High school kids have to have so many hours to graduate, so they have to make up those hours.”
“When parents are looking at fines for the kid not going to school, that’s when they know it’s serious. You have to have an education of some sort. If you don’t have that, it makes life tough and I just want to see them succeed in life. That’s what I tell them. I may be tough now, but you’ll thank me later. I had one that had some other issues going on, and the school had been trying to work with him and he wasn’t willing to do anything. So I just very quietly talked with him at my bench trying to see what we could do. But he’s made everything up and he was actually able to talk to me.”
“I know how kids can be, I have girls of my own and I’ve had kids in and out of my house all the time as my kids were growing up. I have a soft spot for kids and just want to see them succeed.”
While her job as a JP keeps her pretty busy, Julie still maintains her paramedic license and goes out on call when she’s available to do so. Even though she cherishes those years she spent working full-time for EMS, she considers her role as JP as the turning point in her career and life.
“This is where I think I’m meant to be at this point in my life. I’ve maintained my paramedic license and I will continue to maintain it. I don’t want to completely give it up because I worked really hard for it and I want to keep my skills and knowledge up. I still continue my education for that on top of my continuing education for JP.”
“I’ve enjoyed it, I see a different side to things, and it’s not always sick people needing help. It’s hey, I need help with this problem, what can you do? My clerk has been great because I can’t really hear anything until we go to court. I just really enjoy being able to serve Gray County in this capacity. I really enjoy being around people, talking with people and visiting with them whenever they come in here.”
Early voting will be February 17th through February 27th at the Gray County Courthouse, 205 N. Russell in Room 104. Times are:
Tuesday, February 17th through Friday, February 20th-8 AM to 5 PM
Saturday, February 21: 7 AM to 7 PM
Sunday, February 22: 12 PM to 6 PM
Monday, February 23 through Friday, February 27: 7 AM to 7 PM.
Election Day, March 3: 7 AM to 7 PM
Last day to register is February 2, 2026. Mail ballots will begin going out on January 17, 2026. Last day to request ballot by mail is February 20, 2026.
