- A County Court-At-Law judge handles misdemeanors, such as assault of a family member, property theft between $750 and $2,500, and using force against a law enforcement officer. They also handle civil cases where the amount in question does not exceed $200,000. 
- County Court-At-Law judges conduct arraignments, pre-trial hearings, and jury trials, as well as accept guilty pleas. 
- They are elected in a partisan, county-wide election to a four-year term. 
- Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 25 years old, have been a Texas and county resident for at least 24 consecutive months, a practicing lawyer and/or judge in Texas for at least four years, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for County Court-At-Law Judges ranges from $174,000 to $244,500, depending on years of service and how much they receive as a county supplement.

Handles civil and criminal cases from District Courts.

Bexar

2026 Texas Primary Runoff

Texas

Judicial Efficiency

Legal Experience

Judicial Philosophy

Judicial Administration

Ethics & Conduct

Community Involvement

County Court-At-Law Judge

- Serves as clerk and custodian of all records for district courts. Supports attorney general and child protective services courts.
- Indexes and secures all court records and verdicts, collects filing fees, and handles funds held in litigation and money awarded to minors. Also manages court registry funds and may process passport applications.
- Fulfills requests from attorneys or via court order to issue documents, collecting fees and distributing them to state and local agencies monthly.
- Gathers data and reports to various agencies to assist county, state, and Texas Legislature in proper operation of courts, effectiveness of statues, and any need for changes.
- Often in courtroom, filing documents, administrating oaths to defendants, witnesses, and jurors, and assists judge in docket management. Coordinates jury panel selection process and acts as liaison between jurors, courts, and employers.
- District clerks are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for district clerks range from $35,236 to $207,952, set by the county’s Commissioners Court.

Preserves records for and serves as clerk in district courts.

Economic Growth

Administration

District Clerk

- Serves as clerk of county’s commissioners court, attending and recording all sessions, as well as holding all records associated with the Court. Also assists county judge in court agenda preparation and posting notice for each meeting, along with other services requested by the Court.
- Works with judges, defendants, jurors, and attorneys of various courts, doing things like filing cases, issuing processes, maintaining minutes of court proceedings, collecting costs and fines, and arranging for commitments and appeals.
Administers all county and state elections as chief elections officer, except when the Commissioners Court has the tax assessor-collector or county elections administrator do that.
- Can serve as county recorder, where they determine whether a document is suitable for filing.They maintain documents like birth, death, and marriage certificates and real estate records, and act as a liaison to the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
- County clerks are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a county resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that county.
- The annual salary for county clerks range from $42,000 to $183,999, set by the county’s commissioners court.

Serves as clerk of county court and commissioners court.

Election Oversight

County Clerk

- District attorneys prosecute felony criminal cases on behalf of the state, presenting them to grand juries and working closely with law enforcement during investigations.
- They also represent victims seeking protective orders and assist in removing children from abusive homes as part of their responsibilities.
- They are elected to four-year terms.
- District attorneys in Texas make between $175,000 and $220,500, based on how long they have served in office. 

Acts as the attorney for the state of Texas in felony cases.

Criminal Justice

Public Safety

Consumer Protection

District Attorney

- Has original jurisdiction over all felony criminal matters in the district.
- Cases either go to the Court of Appeals or directly to the Court of Criminal Appeals, where their legal reasoning may be reviewed. May hear appeals from county courts when authorized.
- County’s criminal courts administration–which has positions like case managers, magistrate support officers, and bailiffs–reports to each county’s criminal district judge.
- Criminal District Judges are elected through partisan, county-wide elections to four-year terms. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 25 years old, have been a Texas and county resident for at least 24 consecutive months, a practicing lawyer and/or judge in Texas for at least eight years, and registered to vote in that county.
- The salary for Criminal District Judges range from $175,000 to $245,500, depending on years of service and how much they receive as a county supplement.

Presides over all felony criminal cases within the elected district.

Dallas

Corruption

Criminal District Judge

- Justices of the Peace oversee Justice Courts, trial courts for civil cases up to $20,000, and misdemeanor cases punishable only by fine. They also perform marriages, issue warrants, conduct preliminary hearings, and serve as notaries.
- Texas has 835 Justice Courts, each presided over by a single judge. Every county has between one and eight precincts based on the county's population, each with its own Justice Court.
- Justices of the Peace are elected through partisan, precinct-wide election to four-year terms. 
- Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, have been a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, a district resident for at least six consecutive months, and registered to vote in that precinct.
- The annual salary for Justices of the Peace ranges from $19,207 to $151,805 and is by the county's Commissioners Court.


Presides over civil cases and fine-only misdemeanor cases.

Policing

Justice of the Peace

- County commissioners vote on the budget and appropriations, which fund essential county services like road maintenance.
- They create and enforce civil and criminal laws that align with state regulations, including land use and construction codes.
- Commissioners implement state and federal mandates while overseeing county agencies and public buildings.
- They also set tax rates for the county and its subdivisions.
- Each Texas county has four commissioners and a county judge, forming the local governing body known as the Commissioners Court.

Taxes

Economy

Public Services

Housing & Urban Development

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

County Commissioner

Dayton Lakes

Daisetta

Kenefick

Browndell

Old River-Winfree

Cove

Vidor

Rose City

Taylor Landing

Kountze

Pine Forest

Woodville

Chester

Kirbyville

Anahuac

Nome

Devers

Tiki Island

Brazoria

La Marque

Plum Grove

Arcola

Rose Hill Acres

West Orange

Lake Jackson

Iowa Colony

Jones Creek

Beasley

Sandy Point

Clute

Pearland

Holiday Lakes

Kemah

Thompsons

Freeport

West Columbia

Surfside Beach

Orchard

Danbury

Galveston

Hitchcock

China

Liverpool

Bonney

Bayou Vista

Shoreacres

Sweeny

Seabrook

Weston Lakes

Kendleton

Needville

Simonton

Fairchilds

Colmesneil

Newton

Brookside Village

Meadows Place

Fulshear

North Cleveland

Pinehurst

Bailey's Prairie

Manvel

Morgan's Point

Mont Belvieu

Cleveland

Ivanhoe

Dickinson

Texas City

Liberty

Lumberton

Quintana

Katy

Missouri City

Richwood

Port Arthur

Groves

Rosenberg

Clear Lake Shores

Angleton

Orange

Pleak

Santa Fe

Richmond

Bridge City

Beach City

Bevil Oaks

Nederland

Jamaica Beach

Alvin

Ames

Friendswood

Sugar Land

Stafford

Silsbee

Beaumont

Dayton

League City

Sour Lake

Jasper

Hardin

Full profiles for 15 counties, including Collin and Dallas

Full profiles for down to counties, including Bexar and Brazoria (measures use no coverage)

2026 Texas candidates

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Bexar District Attorney Runoff, Democratic Primary

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Dallas Criminal District Judge Runoff, Democratic Primary

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Dallas Justice of the Peace Runoff, Justice Precinct 5, Democratic Primary

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Dallas County Clerk Runoff, Democratic Primary

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Dallas Justice of the Peace Runoff, Justice Precinct 1, Democratic Primary

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Denton County Commissioner Runoff, District 4, Republican Primary

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