He is double board certified in both criminal law and family law, a credential held by less than half a percent of Texas attorneys.
Ball earned his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law and has spent his career in criminal and family law, including a stint prosecuting cases in the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office. Before running for the appeals court, he served as an elected trustee for the McAllen Independent School District.
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.