PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The Southeast Texas community is mourning the sudden loss of a beloved federal judge.
Judge Thad Heartfield of Port Arthur died on Tuesday, December 22, 2022.
Judge Heartfield was a pillar in the legal community, serving in Southeast Texas courts since the 60's. Friends say he leaves behind a lasting legacy of upholding the law.
Jefferson County District Attorney Keith Giblin has personally known Judge Heartfield for more than 30 years.
Giblin says, they quickly became good friends.
"Judge Heartfield was in very good health I was shocked and I just couldn't believe the news I got," Giblin said.
Giblin is still struggling to process the fact that one of his best friends is now gone.
"He had some surgery and it was complications from the surgery," Giblin said.
Just from a glance around Giblin's office, you can see how much his 30-year friendship with Judge Heartfield meant to him.
Inside the office, pictures of the duo bonding and smiling could be seen.
"I was a young prosecutor at the U.S. attorney's office. He was a federal judge. I tired cases in his courtroom on a daily basis just about we became friends," Giblin said.
Judge Heartfield began his legal career in the 1960's sitting in the very same seat that District Attorney Giblin now sits in.
That path lead him to hearing cases in federal court.
"He was a city attorney I believe for a while, then he was in private practice for a while and then he got appointed by bill Clinton to the bench," Giblin said.
Giblin has been there for Judge Hartfield's family as they cope with their loss, helping fulfill some last wishes and sorting through personal items.
"I spoke to him he thanked me, I helped drive his wife to the hospital in Houston and he called me and told me how much he appreciated it. We caught up on funny things that's been happening over the Christmas holiday," Giblin said.
One thing Giblin says he will never forgot is the legacy Judge Heartfield leaves in Southeast Texas and how he looked at everyone who appeared before him with kindness and compassion.
"He saw them as people and not just files. He agonized over every decision he made hoping that it was the right decision. He was what I would call a perfect judge," Giblin said.
Giblin says he had originally planned to visit Judge Heartfield in the hospital to be sworn in officially on New Years Eve.
Judge Heartfield received his Bachelors of the Arts from St. Mary’s University in 1962.
He graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law in 1965.
Memorial contributions in honor of Judge Heartfield can be made to Some Other Place in Beaumont or an organization of one’s choice.
A gathering of Judge Heartfield’s family and friends will be from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., with a time to share at 6 p.m., Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at Broussard’s in Beaumont.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Wednesday, January 4, 2023, at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica in Beaumont, with a gathering to follow in the Cathedral Center.