Judge, 184th Criminal District Court, Harris County

Katherine "Kat" Thomas has been judge of the 184th Criminal District Court in Harris County since January 1, 2023, after winning the seat in 2022¹. A native Houstonian and graduate of Spelman College and Howard University School of Law, she worked as a Harris County prosecutor before taking the bench²⁴. She is running for re-election against Republican Heather Hudson¹.

• Judge, 184th Criminal District Court, Harris County, since January 1, 2023¹
• Prosecutor in Harris County before taking the bench; her campaign describes six years as a prosecutor²
• Adjunct instructor, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, while serving as judge²
• B.A., Spelman College, 2014; J.D., Howard University School of Law, 2017; licensed in Texas since November 2017¹⁴
• Thomas defeated incumbent Judge Abigail Anastasio in the March 2022 Democratic primary, then defeated Republican Lori DeAngelo in the November 8, 2022 general election with 50.9 percent of the vote, taking office January 1, 2023¹. She is running for re-election in 2026 against Republican Heather Hudson¹.
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll is a non-binding survey of HBA members' preferences, and the HBA states it is not an endorsement. The 2026 poll was open as of September 27, 2026, closes October 2, 2026, and results are due October 9, 2026; no results had been published as of this writing³.