Tarrant CountyCriminal CourtNo. 4
Republican
County criminal courts handle Class A and B misdemeanors, the less serious crimes. Deborah Nekhom, a Republican, is on the ballot unopposed for Criminal Court No. 4.
Before first being elected judge in 2002, Nekhom spent 12 years as a criminal defense lawyer. She is in her fifth term, and her court has processed over 40,000 cases. She has a history degree and a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and says she strictly follows the 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.