Rusk native continues serving justice in Houston County

Daphne Lynette Session was born and raised in Rusk. She is the daughter of Walter and Maxine Session of Rusk and the sister of Kathy Harris and Terri Franklin.

She graduated from Rusk High School, Tyler Junior College and Sam Houston State University. In May 1999, she graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law with a doctorate of Jurisprudence. That same year, Daphne took and passed the Texas State Bar exam.
Session was sworn in as an attorney by the late 369th District Judge Bascom Bently III, in the Anderson County District courtroom in November 1999.

Before going to law school, Session worked a short while as youth activities supervisor at Crockett State School and as an Anderson County Adult Probation officer. She also met Joyce Ann Brown, prior to attending law school. Brown spent nine years in prison for a crime she did not commit.

Session said, ”In her case the system failed her, and it was nine years before she was released. When I was in law school I thought about Ms. Brown and what happened to her. Today, on my job as a prosecutor I still think of her.
“I still pray that I make good choices and decisions in my job. Because of her, I make sure I review the cases and the evidence as carefully as possible. I pray that by doing this it will keep someone from going through what Ms. Brown had to go through.”
After graduating from law school she returned to Anderson County to work as an assistant Criminal District Attorney. Later, she worked as assistant Criminal District Attorney in Smith County and assistant District Attorney in Houston County.

In 2006, Daphne opened her own private law practice in Crockett and Rusk. During that time she offered free wills to anyone who requested it. She also worked as a court appointed attorney, offering her clients the best defense possible.

Session is the first person in a long line of her ancestors, including the Burleys, Duprees, Dotys, Denmans, Duncans and Sessions to become a lawyer.

She was elected to the position of Houston County Attorney in the November 2008 election. She was sworn in as the elected Houston County Attorney on Jan. 1, 2009, and has since been re-elected two times. She has no opponent for the 2020 election.
She is a dedicated prosecutor, who works closely with Child Protective Services, victims of domestic violence, and other entities to make a safer world for those who are or suspected of being treated unfairly.

Session gives to the community in many ways including through the following organizations: the Deep East Texas Council of Governments, board member since 2018 and serving as Board President 2018-2019; Piney Woods Fine Arts Association since 2013; Kalin’s Center Children’s Advocacy Center board member since 2009;

Mary Allen Museum Board ex-officio board member since 2018; Texas District & County Attorneys Association board member, serving as Finance Committee member and Diversity Committee since 2016; Mt. Pleasant CME Church’s primary Sunday School teacher; and Finance Committee, Recording Steward and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., since 1996.