Судья Фифер выступит на конференции ETCADA с докладом о ментальном здоровье и магистратуре

Judge Forrest Phifer to speak on mental health and magistration at ETCADA conference Published 7:01 am Friday, September 4, 2026 Judge Forrest Phifer, a longtime Texas attorney and municipal judge, has been asked to make a presentation on “Mental Health and Magistration” at the East Texas Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (ETCADA) conference scheduled for November 4, 2026, in Longview. Phifer said he is grateful for the invitation and honored to speak on a subject that has become increasingly important to courts, law enforcement, treatment providers, families, and communities across Texas. “I deeply appreciate being asked to make this presentation,” Phifer said. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to discuss the role courts can play when mental health concerns intersect with the criminal justice system. These issues affect real people, real families, and real communities, and I am grateful for the chance to be part of that conversation.” ETCADA, based in Longview, works to provide recovery support services, reduce substance use through education and intervention, and assist young adults in successful transitions to adulthood by addressing essential needs. The organization also offers community programs, prevention services, recovery groups, and mental health first aid training throughout East Texas. Phifer currently serves as Municipal Court Judge for Rusk, Alto, and Cuney, Texas. He previously served as Municipal Court Judge for Wells and as Alternate Municipal Court Judge for Jacksonville. In addition to his judicial service, he has maintained the Law Office of Forrest K. Phifer in Rusk since 1996. Admitted to the State Bar of Texas in May 1989, Phifer’s legal career spans more than three decades of public service, private practice, appellate work, municipal law, and judicial administration. He is licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and federal district courts in the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas. His background includes service as City Attorney for Rusk and as Public Defender for Rusk State Hospital MHMR patients. Earlier in his career, he worked as an associate with Norman, Thrall, Angle & Guy, L.L.P., served as a personal briefing attorney for the Twelfth Supreme Judicial District Court of Appeals, and gained prosecutorial experience with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston. Phifer earned his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 1988 and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Southern Methodist University in 1978. He has served on the boards of the Texas Municipal Court Association and the Texas Municipal Court Education Center and has been active in professional organizations including the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Bar Association, the Cherokee County Bar Association, the College of the State Bar, the Pro Bono College of the State Bar, and Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity. In East Texas, Phifer is also known for his civic and community involvement. He has contributed columns to the Cherokeean Herald on municipal law, courtroom procedure, and local human-interest topics, and has been active with Rusk Rotary, Singletary Memorial Library/Friends of the Library, Cherokee County Civic Theater, Rusk Main Street, the East Texas Economic Development District, Cherokee County Child and Family Services, and First United Methodist Church of Rusk. The upcoming presentation will draw on Phifer’s experience with municipal courts, public service, substance abuse issues affecting the community, and the intersection of mental health and the legal system. His prior speaking engagements have included presentations for the Texas Municipal Court Education Center, Texas Appleseed, the Cherokee County Special Projects Unit, South Texas College of Law, area schools, civic clubs, churches, and community organizations. Phifer has also hosted local discussions bringing together judges, prosecutors, probation officers, nonprofit organizations, and school representatives to address youth diversion and early intervention. That work, he has said, reflects the importance of practical cooperation among courts, schools, treatment providers, and community leaders. “Mental health and magistration are not abstract legal topics,” Phifer said. “They involve decisions made at critical moments, often when people are in crisis. I appreciate ETCADA’s commitment to education, prevention, treatment, and recovery, and I am honored to contribute to its conference.” The November 4 conference presentation is expected to focus on how magistrates and courts can recognize mental health concerns, understand legal responsibilities, and work more effectively with community resources while protecting public safety and individual rights. For additional information or to register for the event, you may contact ETCADA directly at (903) 753-7633, or by https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/2vtsudb. If you, or someone you know, are considering suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis, please call or text 988, or chat online with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org) for free, confidential support, available 24/7.