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District 457
Jurisdiction: Montgomery,
District Level Judicial Candidates
Tarrant County
Chart of Texas Judicial Department
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1452920/court-structure-chart-september-2021.pdf
Brochure of the Court System
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/675444/The-Texas-Judicial-System_Print102714.pdf
District Courts
Tarrant County (2,110,640 population)
District 48
Appointed to the bench by Gov. Greg Abbott on October 21, 2021
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 67
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 96
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 141
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 153
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
Criminal District Judge, Court No. 1 Judge Cindy Stormer Her background ranges from serving in the police department to being an elected District Attorney. She’s a professor of Government and previously taught legal assisting, criminal justice, and more. Her knowledge is so in-depth that she’s written books providing practical tools for legal firms, and one on fixing the criminal justice system. She’s often called on to present before professional groups and contribute to professional journals. Her expertise includes criminal law, labor/employment issues, appeals, mental health, correcting wrongful convictions, DNA, and more. But the most important quality Cindy Stormer brings to the table is her compassion and willingness to fix the system so that every citizen–white, black, or brown–of Tarrant County has the freedom to obtain the best justice.
Source: https://www.stormerfortexas.com
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
Criminal District Judge, Court No. 4 Judge John Brender
Education: The University of Texas at Austin B.A., Government/History; Baylor University School of Law
Profession: Associate Law Offices of Art Brender, Attorney At Law The Brender Law Firm, Prosecutor Dallas District Attorney's Office; Principal The Brender Law Firm. John Brender is an attorney running to bring legal experience, fairness, and careful judgment to a court that handles serious felony cases. His priorities are due process, public safety, equal treatment, a respectful courtroom, and faithfully applying the law in every case.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 213
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 231 Lyndsay Newell
Education:
Profession: attorney, and former teacher--My path started as a first-grade teacher, where I witnessed firsthand how poverty, abuse, and neglect can affect children’s lives. That experience inspired me to attend law school so I could advocate for kids after Child Protective Services (CPS) was called.
Families in crisis deserve more than a legal process—they deserve fairness, respect, and integrity from the court. Lyndsay Newell has dedicated her career to standing up for children and families in Tarrant County. A partner at Fort Worth’s oldest law firm, former teacher, and mom of two, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the courtroom. Since then, I’ve practiced family law exclusively, representing children and families from every walk of life—from our most vulnerable kids to those in highly complex cases. I’ve worked at the Court of Appeals on CPS cases, and today I’m a partner at Cantey Hanger, the oldest law firm in Fort Worth.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 233
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 236 Katherine Kim for Judge
Education: She earned a law degree from the Texas A&M University School of Law. She lives with her husband in Grapevine, Texas.
Profession: Kate currently owns and works as a contracts and intellectual property lawyer for The Law Office of Katherine Kim, PLLC. She also works as an adjunct professor in a local paralegal program. She previously worked as a licensed financial representative, a law library clerk, a research assistant, and a business litigation and estate planning attorney. Katherine Kim is a native Texan and devoted advocate in Tarrant County. She is running for 236th District Judge to ensure that every person who enters the courtroom is treated with respect, impartiality, and dignity.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 297 Fred Howey for Judge
Education: Winona State University B.S., Recreation/Tourism; Texas A&M University School of Law J.D., Law
Profession: Enlisted into the Army Reserves after high school. He rose to the rank of Sergeant and then joined ROTC and became an officer. Being both enlisted and an officer provided experience from both levels of leadership. He got to travel to Europe while enlisted and deployed to Iraq in 2005-06 as a platoon leader. In Iraq, he oversaw civilian contractors running a 2 million gallon bulk fuel farm and made sure our platoon's water purification equipment was ready to be put into operation at a moments notice. Thankfully, all members of his unit returned from Iraq with only one purple heart awarded. In his travels, he saw first hand how other cultures operate. America truly is a special place and worth defending. Mr. Howey raised his hand, wrote a bank check, and swore an oath to defend the US Constitution and hopes to continue to uphold the constitution as Judge. Mr. Howey has for over a decade defended people accused of crimes, all the way from traffic tickets to murder charges. Prior to focusing his practice on criminal defense, he spent some time doing family law, estate planning, juvenile defense, and child welfare (CPS) cases as a solo attorney. He now works at the largest criminal defense firm in Texas, Dunham & Jones, Attorneys at Law P.C. as a felony attorney and is now a mentor to other attorneys new to the practice of criminal defense. His experience as a criminal defense attorney provides insight into seeing that false accusations do happen, and that sometimes its just a person who may have just made a bad choice, and then there are those who are truly dangerous. Having this breadth of experience in areas that intersect with criminal law and dealing directly with people accused of crimes will make him a better rounded attorney to step into the position of Judge.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 322
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
Family District Judge, 323rd Judicial District Brian Willett
Brian J Willett is the only Double Board-Certified Attorney in Criminal and Juvenile Law in Tarrant County. He has the unique perspective of successfully defending cases in the Texas state criminal courts, federal immigration courts and Texas civil juvenile courts. With 30 years of experience working, As a defense attorney 100’s of trials and three editions of his criminal law book Ignorance of the Law is No Excuse published, Mr. Willett has the experience and knowledge needed to ensure the best outcome for your legal problem. Mr. Willett has spent his entire legal career keeping families together. Be it out of jail on a criminal charge, released from immigration custody for an immigration case, or keeping a child at home for a juvenile matter, he always strives for family unity.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 324 Family District Court Crystal Gayden
Education: Juris Doctor, Texas Wesleyan School of Law (now Texas A&M School of Law)
Bachelor’s Degree, University of Houston–Downtown
Profession: Crystal Gayden is not only our esteemed former County Party Chair, she is also an attorney and community advocate running to bring compassion, preparation, and fairness to Tarrant County’s family courts. Her priorities are protecting children, respecting families, treating every person with dignity, applying the law impartially, and helping the court operate efficiently.
Founder, Law Office of Crystal L. Gayden, PLLC
Over 15 years of legal experience
Focused on family law and advocacy for everyday people
Represented clients throughout Tarrant County and across Texas
President, Black Women Lawyers Association of Tarrant County
Board Member, William M. McDonald YMCA
Member, L. Clifford Davis Legal Association
Member, Ethel Ransom Humanitarian and Cultural Club
Member, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 325 Andy Griffin for Family District Judge, 325th Judicial District
Andy Griffin is a Fort Worth native, husband, father, and family-law attorney with 18 years of experience helping people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. His priorities are honesty, compassion, service, impartial application of the law, and making sure every family is treated with dignity.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 342
Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2018.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 348
Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in September 2019
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 352
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 360
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District Judge for the 371 Judicial District
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Oklahoma and her Juris Doctor from Texas A&M University School of Law.
Profession: She has served as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, family law attorney, and the first African American Assistant County Attorney in Hood County. She is the founder of The Clayton Law Firm, a Top Attorney honoree in Fort Worth Magazine, a member of the Texas Bar College, and a recipient of the Texas A&M School of Law Community Impact Award. She serves as the Executive Director of the Girl2Girl Foundation, has chaired the Tarrant County Expunction Clinic, co-organized Lawyers Against Injustice, and has served in leadership roles within the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®. Her service reflects her calling to uplift the community she loves. Now, she is running for Judge of Tarrant County 371st District Court to restore trust, improve efficiency, and ensure justice is administered with wisdom, compassion, and integrity. She is committed to reducing case backlogs, protecting resources, supporting effective rehabilitation programs, and bringing a balanced, principled judicial perspective to the bench.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 372
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 396
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District Judge Courtney Miller for the 432nd Judicial District
Education:
Profession: I knew early on that I would be a lawyer focused on criminal justice. I became a prosecutor immediately out of law school and I was as trial hungry as they come. I took 33 cases to jury trial in my first six months, and since that time I have gone to trial on many dozens of cases, in many counties, on the most serious cases imaginable. I belong in a courtroom. I became a defense attorney in 2008 and I am so proud of the work that I do in this field. There aren’t many people who can say that their job is mandated in the Bill of Rights, but I can. Neither prosecutors nor judges are listed in the 6th Amendment, but the Founding Fathers guaranteed “Assistance of Counsel” for all those of criminal acts. As I tell my prospective jurors in jury selection, my job is to fight to protect the rights guaranteed to us in the United States Constitution. I zealously fight for due process and a fair trial for everyone I represent. But the time has come for me to do more. You have seen me speak out against the disparate treatment Black and other people of color experience with police, and you have seen me speak for and against the behavior of judges in court and online. I can no longer simply call out injustice; it is time for me to administer justice from the bench. As the judge of the 432nd District Court of Tarrant County, I will treat all people in my courtroom with respect and dignity. I will listen carefully to scientific experts to make sure that “junk” science does not make it into the jury box. And I will ensure that wrong-doers are held accountable, no matter what side of the thin blue line they are on. This is what I want my mark on the world to be: that I was fair to everyone before me, and that I was fearless in that pursuit. I hope very much to earn your support.
Jurisdiction: Tarrant
District 485
Jurisdiction: Tarrant