By Jeffrey L. Boney, Associate Editor
Longtime Houston Attorney and Justice of the Peace Passes Away at 83
Houston has lost another one of its sturdy political trees and beloved community icons, as Judge Zinetta Burney passed away on September 22nd at the age of 83.
Judge Burney took office in 2005 and served as justice of the peace in Harris County, Texas, representing Precinct 7, Place 2, until her retirement in December 2018. She replaced former Precinct 7, Place 2 justice of the peace, and current Congressman Al Green, after he retired in 2004, and was successfully elected to serve in the 9th Congressional District in 2005.
Judge Burney was a pillar in the legal community of Houston, before passing the baton to her daughter, Sharon Burney, who was elected to serve in the same court as her mother since 2018.
Several community leaders and people who knew Judge Burney expressed their thoughts relative to the huge loss that the Greater Houston area community has experienced.
“It is with a heavy heart that I offer my condolences to the family of Judge Zinetta Burney,” Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis shared on the X social media platform. “She was an unwavering champion for her community, and her legacy will be deeply felt. She will be missed.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire shared his thoughts as well via an official statement.
“I am saddened to hear that Judge Zinetta Burney has died,” said Mayor Whitmire. “She and I go way back. She was a good person, and I appreciated the work she did throughout the Houston community. I extend my condolences to her daughter, Harris County Justice of the Peace Sharon Burney, and extended family members. May she rest in peace.”
Nata Koerber, political consultant and strategist, posted to Facebook and expressed her memories of being mentored by Judge Burney and other key aspects of her life.
“I was blessed to be mentored by Zinetta,” Koerber expressed in her Facebook post. “We always joked she was my ‘Godmother’ in the political game. Zinetta was a constant presence in the community…She gathered many accolades, but none shown brighter than her concern for the community. She always made room under her wings to nurture future leaders. I think of her tenderly with tremendous gratitude. R.I.H Queen.”
James “Smokie” Phillips, who is Constable-elect for Harris County Precinct 7, also shared the news of Judge Burney’s passing on social media.
“Judge Zinetta Burney, ‘Mama Z’ transitioned today. May She Rest in Power,” Phillips shared on Facebook. “She was a real freedom fighter and an honorable member of our communities. We love ‘Mama Z.’”
State Representative Ron Reynolds took to Facebook to share his condolences as well.
“Just received word that we lost Texas Legend… retired Judge Zinetta Burney,” Rep. Reynolds lamented. “Judge Burney was truly a phenomenal lady and crown jewel in Houston, Texas!”
Probably no one is as heartbroken as Houston businessman Gerald Womack, who was a longtime friend of Judge Burney’s and who has lost yet another close friend within a year of each other.
“Judge Burney was a mentor to me,” Womack told the Forward Times. “I changed my schedule to be with her before she passed away and we cried together after I was able to share words with her and relive some of our life’s journeys together. We built a friendship and bond that was so different, and I am heartbroken. There are no words that can describe how much I will miss her.”
Womack told the Forward Times that many years ago, they both bought a property together and both worked tirelessly to help get people out to vote. He also talked about the birthday party he threw for her at the Ensemble Theater and how everyone came out to support her, including the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and other dignitaries.
Womack also explained the closeness of their relationship and why he named his coffee shop after both of them, to describe how deep their bond went.
“G’s and Z’s Coffee Shop on Almeda was named after me and Zinetta to show the strength of our bond and to provide a gathering spot for students and others to study and meet,” Womack revealed to the Forward Times. “One day, a lady came back and told us that she had become a district attorney in Galveston, and that she didn’t have access to the internet while she was in law school but was able to use the internet at G’s and Z’s to study and be successful. That made Zinetta incredibly happy to hear that.”
Womack concluded by talking about Judge Burney’s legacy and how she will be remembered.
“Judge Zinetta Burney lived a remarkable life,” said Womack. “She was always willing to give back to the community. People respected her because she treated people fairly and looked at everyone’s case independently and sought to help those who had a need. When you drive down Almeda Road, you have to thank Zinetta and several others for the redevelopment and infrastructure improvements that we see now. She always stood up for the community; when she was in her courtroom, when she was the first Black woman appointed to UH board of regents, and when she was in the community. All will deeply miss her.”
Born in Houston in 1941, Zinetta Burney was the second of four children born to John and Thelma Arceneaux. At the age of 17, she made the decision to drop out of school at St. Nicholas Catholic School. Zinetta eventually gave birth to her only child, Sharon Maria Burney, and found herself raising her child as a single mother.
Zinetta later enrolled in the St. Elizabeth Hospital program to train as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), to which she became. After becoming an LVN, she decided to go to night school in HISD to earn her G.E.D. and complete high school, which she did. While raising a child as a single mother, and earning money while working as an LVN, Zinetta leveraged her newly acquired high school diploma to enroll at Texas Southern University (TSU). After six years of juggling work, studies, and motherhood, Zinetta eventually graduated from TSU in 1967, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She went on to complete law school at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at TSU, which helped direct her path toward a career in law and public service to the community.
Zinetta worked as a substitute teacher, before landing a position at Shell Research and Development writing computer programs. She began her law career as Senior Partner in the law firm of Burney and Foreman, where she operated for more than thirty years. By 1976, Zinetta, along with four other Black Houston female lawyers—Joan Edwards, Shelvin Louise Hall, Haroldeen Hartsfield, and Algenita Scott Davis—founded, what is believed to be, the first African American female law firm in America—Burney, Edwards, Hall, Hartsfield, and Scott. They were affectionately known as “The Sisters in Law.”
In 2005, Zinetta began her elected service as the presiding judge of Harris County Justice of the Peace Court, Precinct 7, Place 2, where she stayed until her retirement in 2018.
Judge Burney has served on numerous Boards, including being appointed by former Texas Governor Ann Richards as the first Black female on the University of Houston System Board of Regents. She also served on the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Houston, Mayor Lee P. Brown’s Transition Coordinating Committee, and the Boards of the United Way of Texas Gulf Coast, Jesse Jackson Academy, Donald R. Watkins Aids Foundation and Main Street Market Square Redevelopment Authority.
Judge Burney was Chair of the OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Council and was a member of the Board of Directors of Third Ward Redevelopment Council and South Main Center Association, Main Street Coalition. She was also a Senior Fellow of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Leadership Forum, and a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Lawyers Association, the Greater Southeast Management District, and the Houston Bar Association.
Zinetta received a number of awards for her service to the community. She was recognized by the City of Houston, Housing Authority of the City of Houston, United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston Lawyers Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Omega Chapter, United Cerebral Palsy Association, Riverside General Hospital, YMCA, The Prestage Woods Women’s Legal Society, the Missouri City Chapter of Links, Inc., Houston Black Firefighters Association, and the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
Funeral services are currently pending.
