County criminal courts decide misdemeanor cases, the less serious crimes, including family violence assaults. Julya Billhymer, the Democrat in the race for Court No. 5, has worked both sides of that world: as a patrol sergeant and as a defense lawyer.
Billhymer has 27 years as a criminal defense attorney, with a criminal justice degree from Texas Woman's University and a law degree from Texas A&M. She says she wants every case heard "with compassion" and every right respected, while keeping safety a priority.
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.