Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 9

Toria Finch has been judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 9 since January 1, 2019, and was re-elected in 2022¹. Her colleagues on the county's 16 criminal courts at law chose her as their presiding judge, and in January 2022 re-elected her to a second consecutive term in that role³. She is running for re-election against Republican Xavier Alfaro¹.

• Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 9, since January 1, 2019, hearing Class A and B misdemeanor cases¹²
• Presiding Judge of the Harris County Criminal Courts at Law, re-elected by her colleagues in January 2022 to a second consecutive term; she describes two terms as presiding judge and three as co-presiding judge²³
• J.D., Texas Southern University; licensed in Texas since November 2006⁵
• Finch defeated Republican John Wakefield in the November 6, 2018 general election, took office January 1, 2019, and was re-elected in November 2022 over Republican Sartaj Bal, 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent¹. She advanced unopposed from the 2026 Democratic primary and faces Republican Xavier Alfaro in the November 3, 2026 general election¹.
• 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 writing⁴.