Many observers of Texas politics are likely to recognize attorney Eric Yollick as the founder of The Golden Hammer, a local online newspaper he used as a platform to advocate for government reform. Now, Yollick is looking to take his passion for reform to the Montgomery County Courthouse.
The 457th District Court in Montgomery County is a brand new civil court created by the Texas Legislature during the 86th Legislative Session in 2019 to ameliorate the rapidly growing suburban county’s backlog of cases. Yollick decided to run for the position because he believes he is uniquely suited to handle the mountain of cases while saving the taxpayers money.
“I’m a 31-year civil litigation attorney,” said Yollick. “The 457th District Court will be a civil district court. I’ve been an arbitrator in nine cases and a mediator in about 200 cases. I’ve tried over 200 jury trials and over 1,000 bench trials.”
Yollick adds he is the only candidate who is board-certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, with a certification in consumer and commercial law.
Yollick’s involvement in conservative politics goes back to his days at Princeton, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1983. As president of the College Conservatives Club and editor of one of the school’s newspapers, he feuded with a competing paper’s reporter: future Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.
Yollick moved to Montgomery County in 1992, where he quickly became involved in Republican politics, serving as a precinct chair and state convention delegate. He authored an anti-government spending plank that became part of the Republican Party platform.
Elected to the Montgomery County Hospital Board in 2004, Yollick had an opportunity to implement his limited government philosophy. After passing both a budget that drastically cut spending and the lowest tax rate in the history of the district, Yollick abruptly resigned, stating he had accomplished his goals.
For several years afterwards, Yollick was less visible in the political arena. However, in 2016, after an unsuccessful run for judge, Yollick says he decided to “spend the rest of his life working towards smaller government and greater freedom from government interference for all.”
It was then that he created The Golden Hammer to expose the corruption and waste in local government. From that platform, he fearlessly lampooned elected officials and railed against the corruption of the political class, earning many powerful foes.
In 2017, Yollick was awarded Empower Texans’ Conservative Leader Award for his work holding the government accountable and advancing the conservative cause.
Although Yollick has left his political activism behind now that he is running for judicial office, he says his assiduousness as a conservative activist is an indicator of the work ethic he will bring to the bench:
“I will bring the same energy to my job as your 457th District Judge as I have brought to my work as a political activist. I will focus on getting rid of the backlog of civil cases, saving the taxpayers money, and reducing the cost of litigation for litigants.”
While he has drawn staunch opposition from the political establishment that has vowed to destroy him, Yollick has picked up endorsements from several local conservative organizations and individuals, including the Texas Patriots PAC, the Montgomery County Tea Party, the Freedom and Liberty Conservatives PAC, former County Judge Alan Sadler, and State Rep. Steve Toth.
“Our elected representatives need to work as humble public servants,” said Yollick. “That’s what I’ll strive to do for all.”
Eric Yollick is endorsed by Texans for Courageous Courts, a project of Empower Texans.
