Tarrant CountyCriminal CourtNo. 3
Republican
Misdemeanor courts handle the less serious crimes, such as drunk driving, theft and some assaults, where punishment is up to a year in jail. Bob McCoy, a Republican, is the judge of Criminal Court No. 3 and a former engineer who started law school at night.
McCoy worked nine years as an engineer, then became a lawyer and clerked for the Texas Supreme Court. Governor George W. Bush appointed him a state district judge in 1995, and he served on the Second Court of Appeals from 2003 to 2014. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M School of Law.
Judges aren't allowed to take sides on these values — it's against judicial ethics rules. The best clue to how a judge thinks is the party they run with.