Texas judicial district 55

## Contents

* 1 Court
* 1.1 Judges
* 1.2 Former judges
* 1.3 Harris County
* 1.4 See also
* 2 Elections
* 2.1 Selection method
* 2.2 Election rules
* 2.2.1 Primary election
* 2.2.2 General election
* 2.3 Footnotes

# Court[edit]

* * *

This Texas-related article is a sprout; we plan on making it grow in the future. If you would like to help it grow, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.

|

District 55 is a civil district court in Harris County, Texas.[1]

## Judges[edit]

* Latosha Payne

## Former judges[edit]

* Jeff Shadwick[2]

## Harris County[edit]

Harris County is the most populous county in Texas and contains one county court as well as the following 59 district courts:

* District 11
* District 55
* District 61
* District 80
* District 113
* District 125
* District 127
* District 129
* District 133
* District 151
* District 152
* District 157
* District 164
* District 165
* District 174
* District 176
* District 177
* District 178
* District 179
* District 180
* District 182
* District 183
* District 184
* District 185
* District 189
* District 190
* District 208
* District 209
* District 215
* District 228
* District 230
* District 232
* District 234
* District 245
* District 246
* District 247
* District 248
* District 257
* District 262
* District 263
* District 269
* District 270
* District 280
* District 281
* District 295
* District 308
* District 309
* District 310
* District 311
* District 312
* District 313
* District 314
* District 315
* District 333
* District 334
* District 337
* District 338
* District 339
* District 351

## See also[edit]

* Texas District Courts

Texas courts

* * *

Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas

State courts:

Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts

State resources:

Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas

# Elections[edit]

See also: Texas judicial elections

Texas is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Texas, click here.

* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2025
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2024
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2023
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2022
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2021
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2020
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2019
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2018
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2017
* Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2016
* Texas judicial elections, 2014
* Texas judicial elections, 2012
* Texas judicial elections, 2010

## Selection method[edit]

See also: Partisan election of judges

The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.[3]

Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."[4]

Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:

* a U.S. citizen;
* a resident of Texas;
* licensed to practice law in the state;
* between the ages of 25 and 75;*[5]
* a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
* a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.[3]

*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[3]

## Election rules[edit]

### Primary election[edit]

Partisan primaries are held if even one candidate has filed for a position. To advance to the general election, a candidate must win a majority (over 50 percent) of the vote. If no candidate in a race wins the majority—as in cases where more than two candidates are competing for a seat—a runoff election is held between the top two candidates.[6][7]

Though Texas officially has closed primaries (requiring that voters declare party affiliation in advance in order to participate), the state's primaries are functionally open: registered voters may vote in any single party's primary if they have not voted in the primary of another party. The elections are closed, however, in that voters may not participate in the proceedings (a runoff primary or a convention) of another party thereafter.[6]

### General election[edit]

The winning candidates from each major party's primary, as well as any additional minor party candidates, compete in a general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. If a candidate was unopposed in the general election, his or her name will still appear on the general election ballot.[6][8]

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Texas Courts Online, "State District Courts by County," January 2008
2. ↑ 55th District Court
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
4. ↑ Texas Courts Online, "Administrative Judicial Regions," accessed September 12, 2014
5. ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The University of Texas at Austin: Texas Politics, "Winning Public Office: General Elections and Special Elections," January 29, 2014
7. ↑ Texas Election Code, "Title 10, Sec. 172.003 and 172.004," accessed May 1, 2014
8. ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, 1992-Current Election History (Select "2012 General" & "County Race"; then click "Anderson" to view sample results)