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She Has Her Community’s Back; Her Union Has Hers

She Has Her Community’s Back; Her Union Has Hers
By Pablo Ros ·

Amy Meredith is an assistant district attorney at the Travis County, Texas, District Attorney’s Office, and chief of the Public Integrity Unit. Over a career spanning almost two decades, she has been keeping her community safe by prosecuting some of Travis County’s most violent criminals.

Amy has tried almost 100 felony jury cases, including that of the so-called “garden rapist” Nicodemo Coria-Gonzalez, who raped at least four women; violent drivers like Rashad Owens, who intentionally drove his car into a crowd of people in 2014, killing four; and the first felony murder case in Travis County in which a drunk driver killed two children.

To her colleagues, Meredith is a leader who puts her community first and embodies our union’s never quit spirit, according to Travis County Judge Nick Chu.

“Amy really cares about her community,” said Chu, who worked with Meredith as a prosecutor before becoming a judge. “She’s always trying the hardest cases, working late hours, having endless meetings with witnesses and detectives and administrative staff. She’s always on top of it.  She’s one of those people who always keeps on going until she achieves her goal in a case.”

Chu nominated Meredith for AFSCME’s Never Quit Service Award, our union’s way of recognizing public service workers who go above and beyond the call of duty. Meredith, a member of AFSCME Local 1624, was selected to receive this month’s award.

Meredith says bringing justice to the victims of crimes is a big responsibility that she takes seriously.

“You want to make sure that you don’t make any mistakes because you have defendants who are charged with very serious crimes,” she says. “You want to answer as many questions as you can for the jury, and you want to make sure that you don’t prosecute anyone who is innocent. It’s a heavy burden but it’s also an important one. That’s why I love my job. I’m fair to the defendants but I seek justice for the victims and the victims’ families.”

As she works hard to keep her community safe, Meredith says, she is proud to be a member of AFSCME.

“Our union is a wonderful support system,” she says. “Being part of my union helps me focus on my job as a prosecutor and better serve the public.”

Meredith has two children, an 11-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy. They sometimes see her in the news, when she’s trying high-profile cases.

“They know how passionate I am about what I do, and I believe I am showing them how important it is to be a community leader,” she says. “We love our time when we are together as a family.”

What motivates her to go above and beyond, she says, is that “even with the frustrations and the late hours, at the end of the day you’re seeking justice and equality in our courts and our community. My entire career, I have been fighting for that in the courtroom and in our community. I will not stop that fight until there is nothing left to be done.”

Nominate Someone for a Never Quit Award

Do you know a co-worker who goes above and beyond the call of duty?
Nominate them for an AFSCME Never Quit Service Award.

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