Who is running for Criminal District Judge, 184th District Court in 2026?

Appellate prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office

Heather Hudson is a Houston native and prosecutor who, in 2022, described spending several years as a prosecutor in the Rio Grande Valley and the preceding decade as an appellate prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office¹. She has not previously held judicial office; she ran for the 208th District Court in 2022 and narrowly lost¹⁵. She is the Republican nominee for the 184th District Court against incumbent Democrat Katherine "Kat" Thomas².

• Appellate prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office; in 2022 she described about a decade in that role¹
• Prosecutor in the Rio Grande Valley for several years before returning to Houston¹
• B.A., Texas A&M University, 2004; J.D., St. Mary's University School of Law, 2008; licensed in Texas since November 2008¹⁴
• Hudson has not previously held judicial office. She was the Republican nominee for the 208th District Court in 2022 and lost to Democrat Beverly Armstrong, 49.3 percent to 50.7 percent⁵. She advanced unopposed from the Republican primary for the 184th District Court on March 3, 2026, and faces incumbent Democrat Katherine Thomas in the November 3, 2026 general election¹².
• 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.

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.