Job description
County Court Judges are responsible for adjudicating cases in Civil and Criminal Courts at the trial-level in certain specific areas, such as small-claims court or drug court.
Eligibility requirements
Candidate must be a citizen of U.S., age 25 or older; a resident of the county for at least 2 years; and a licensed attorney who has practiced law or served as a judge for 4 years.
Filing instructions
Filing office address: 1311 E. 6th St., Unit B, Austin, TX 78702 (Democrats); 807 Brazos St, Ste. 408, Austin, TX 78701 (Republicans); 700 Lavaca St, Suite 2300, Austin, TX 78701 (Independents)
Filing phone number: 512-477-7500 (Democrats); 512-302-1776 (Republicans); 512-854-9555 (Independents)
Paperwork instructions: Submit paperwork to the office of the county party chair; Independent candidates must submit paperwork to the county judge's office.
Filing requirements: Major party-affiliated candidates should file an application for a place on the ballot to their respective county party chair. This should be accompanied by a filing fee of $1,500. The filing fee may be waived if the petition has been signed by at least 500 valid electors. Candidates in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant Counties have a higher filing fee of $2,500 and must also receive 250 petition signatures (or 750 signatures in lieu of a filing fee). Minor party candidates should consult with their respective party chair to determine requirements. Independent candidates should file a Declaration of Intent to Run as an Independent Candidate during the primary filing period. In addition, independent candidates will need to collect a number of signatures equal to 5% of the number of votes cast within the district in the most recent gubernatorial election (or 500 signatures whichever is lower) in support of their application for a place on the general election ballot and submit these to the county judge. All forms can be found on the Texas Secretary of State website.