Judge, 262nd District Court (Harris County)

Lori Chambers Gray has served as judge of the 262nd District Court, a Harris County criminal district court, since January 1, 2019¹. She earned her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1986 and was first licensed to practice law in Texas in 1988¹. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued her a public warning in October 2025 for missing Court of Criminal Appeals deadlines to enter findings in a post-conviction habeas case². She is seeking re-election against Republican nominee Nathan Moss¹³.

• Judge, 262nd District Court (Harris County criminal district court), since January 1, 2019¹
• Private practice attorney in Houston before taking the bench¹
• J.D., South Texas College of Law, 1986; licensed to practice law in Texas since 1988¹
• Elected in November 2018, defeating Republican Tammy Thomas 54.9% to 45.1%; re-elected in November 2022, defeating Republican Tonya Rolland McLaughlin 50.3% to 49.7%¹. She is running for a third term in November 2026 against Republican Nathan Moss¹³.
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's 2026 Judicial Preference Poll, a non-binding poll of HBA members on contested judicial races that the HBA says is not an endorsement, was open as of September 27, 2026, with results due October 9, 2026; no results were published as of this writing⁴.
• Public discipline: Public Warning, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, CJC No. 25-0123, issued October 20, 2025. In a post-conviction habeas corpus case (Ex Parte Walter Hinton Jr.), the Court of Criminal Appeals had ordered the trial court in June 2018, before Judge Gray took office, to enter findings of fact and conclusions of law within 90 days. After she took the bench in January 2019, the appellate court sent reminder letters in December 2020 and August 2021, granted extensions it said would be the last, and denied a further extension request in August 2022; she signed the State's proposed findings on February 23, 2023, the day after the appellate court issued a show-cause order. In her response she cited delays in attorney affidavits, documents filed under the wrong cause number, the lack of a writ tracking system, and a COVID-19 backlog. The Commission concluded she failed to comply with the law and maintain professional competence, in violation of Canons 2A and 3B(2) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, and publicly warned her; no suspension or removal was ordered².