About Dayna Blazey
Judge Dayna Blazey is a lifelong Texan and has been a resident of Travis County for nearly 40 years. She was sworn in as Judge of the 167th District Court in 2021. Dayna previously served the people of Travis County as a felony prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office for over 30 years, closing her career as Director for Diversion Programs and the Grand Jury Division.
For the last 12 years, Dayna has focused on researching and implementing effective and treatment-based diversion programs within the justice system because she believes in second chances. She has continued this work on the bench by presiding over the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) Re-entry Court, a specialized Drug Court for SAFPF graduates that combines judicial monitoring with community supervision strategies that focus on reducing recidivism. As Judge, Dayna institutes true criminal justice reform by working to improve indigent defense, protecting the rights of the accused and victims alike while ensuring justice is fair and accessible for every person.
Dayna graduated from South Texas College of Law in the top 7% of her class and was selected as a member of the Law Review. After law school, Dayna worked as a Briefing Attorney for Judge Charles “Chuck” Campbell at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. As a briefing attorney, Dayna researched and drafted legal opinions that affected laws throughout the State of Texas.
In 1989, Dayna joined the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. For 30 years, Dayna tried a wide range of felony cases from credit card fraud to death penalty cases. Throughout her career, Dayna tried approximately 70 felony jury trials, including 16 sexual and aggravated sexual assault jury trials. She was the lead prosecutor for a high profile aggravated sexual assault case, known as the “Condom Rape Case.” The jury found the defendant guilty and disbelieved his defense that the survivor’s request that he wear a condom indicated her consent to the sexual assault.
Dayna served as the Chief Prosecutor on the Child Protection Team for 16 years. In this capacity, she oversaw investigations of allegations of abuse and neglect of the youngest, most vulnerable victims. She worked in collaboration with law enforcement, Child Protective Services, the Center for Child Protection and Dell Children’s Hospital to ensure that the investigations were thorough and there was sufficient evidence to support a conviction or court intervention in the placement of the child.
After the attempted assassination of Judge Julie Kocurek, Dayna worked tirelessly to assist law enforcement with the investigation. When Chimene Onyeri was indicted for federal racketeering crimes, the United States Department of Justice asked her to assist with the prosecution in the capacity of a Special Assistant United States Attorney. The prosecution was successful, and the defendant is currently serving a life sentence.
As a long-time community advocate, Dayna has volunteered and supported many Austin area organizations. She has served on the Boards of the Austin Rape Crisis Center, the Travis County Women Lawyers Association and the 100 Club of Central Texas. She has also supported other local organizations like the Town Lake Trail Foundation, Friends of Christopher Guild – Center for Child Protection, the Ann Richards School, the Trinity Center Homeless Shelter, Caritas of Austin, Meals on Wheels, Sierra Club Austin, KUT, Texas Exes, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Hill Country Conservancy. Dayna is a graduate of the 2009 Essential Class of Leadership Austin.
Dayna and her husband, Harry Miller, a retired veterinarian, live in the heart of Austin with their rescue pup, Lily.