What You Should Know About Incoming Dallas DA Faith Johnson

Faith Johnson will be sworn in as Dallas County district attorney on Monday. She was appointed in December by Gov. Greg Abbott to replace Republican Susan Hawk, who resigned to focus on her mental health.Johnson, 66, will be Dallas County’s first black female district attorney.She’ll serve the remainder of Hawk’s term, which expires at the end of 2018. Johnson plans to run in that year’s election. Johnson, a Republican, is a former longtime felony court judge and prosecutor in Dallas County.Here are a few things you should know about Dallas County’s next district attorney:Why is Johnson a Republican?When Johnson decided she wanted to become a judge in the 1980s, she studied the platforms for both parties. More of what she believed lined up with the Republicans.“It spoke to a lot of my Christian values, I've got to be honest with you,” she said. “Republicans tend to help us, want to try to help us do our own thing, entrepreneur, work for what we get. And really, that was my dad. My dad was a man who did that.”When Johnson was growing up in Atlanta, her mother cooked meals and sold them at a time when restaurants refused to serve blacks. Her father grew vegetables — corn, collard greens — in their backyard and sold them to support his family. He also worked several jobs, and her parents refused any assistance to support their 13 children.Although Johnson’s parents were Democrats, she said their work ethic helped form her political ideals.“I felt that in the Republican Party, and I identify with that,” she said.  Continue reading...