Tarrant CountyCriminal District CourtNo. 4
Democrat
Felony cases, the most serious crimes, are tried in Tarrant County's criminal district courts. John Brender, a Democrat, is running for Court No. 4. He has worked on both sides of those cases: as a prosecutor and now as a criminal defense lawyer.
Brender worked as a prosecutor in the Dallas County District Attorney's office, then joined the Law Offices of Art Brender and now runs his own firm. This is his third run for a Tarrant County judgeship, after races in 2022 and 2024. He says he would keep regular court hours to prevent a backlog of cases.
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.