Who is running for Criminal District Judge, 263rd District Court in 2026?

Judge, 263rd Criminal District Court, Harris County

Melissa Morris has been judge of the 263rd Criminal District Court in Harris County since January 1, 2023, after winning the open seat in 2022¹³. Before taking the bench she described herself as a criminal defense attorney of 16 years³. In April 2026 the State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued her a public warning². She is running for re-election against Republican Jason A. Campo³.

• Judge, 263rd Criminal District Court, Harris County, since January 1, 2023¹³
• Criminal defense attorney for about 16 years before taking the bench, as she described herself in 2022³
• J.D., Texas Southern University; licensed in Texas since December 2006⁵
• Morris defeated incumbent Judge Amy Martin in the March 2022 Democratic primary, then defeated Republican Amber Cox in the November 8, 2022 general election with 51.5 percent of the vote, taking office January 1, 2023³. She advanced unopposed from the 2026 Democratic primary and faces Republican Jason A. Campo in the November 3, 2026 general election³.
• 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.
• Public discipline: Public Warning, State Commission on Judicial Conduct, April 23, 2026 (CJC Nos. 24-1101 and 25-0393). The Commission found that in 2024 she forwarded a grand jury subpoena email chain to defense counsel, breaching grand jury secrecy; signed orders discharging four defendants from deferred adjudication community supervision in cases requiring sex offender registration, which state law does not allow (she later set the orders aside); and sent a prosecutor an email the Commission found was not patient, dignified and courteous. Morris acknowledged the first two as errors, disputed the third, and denied acting in bad faith².

Felony Chief, Domestic Violence Bureau, Harris County District Attorney's Office

Jason A. Campo is a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, where his campaign says he serves as a Felony Chief in the Domestic Violence Bureau¹⁴. He previously spent 7 years at the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, rising from misdemeanor prosecutor to Chief of its Domestic Violence Division¹. He has not previously held judicial office. He is the Republican nominee for the 263rd District Court against incumbent Democrat Melissa Marie Morris².

• Prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office, since 2022, in the Trial Bureau, Crimes Against Children Division and Intake Division, and currently a Felony Chief in the Domestic Violence Bureau, according to his campaign¹⁴
• Cameron County District Attorney's Office, 7 years, from misdemeanor prosecutor to Chief of the Domestic Violence Division¹
• Has presented at national and international trainings on family violence, according to his campaign¹
• J.D., Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, 2012; licensed in Texas since November 2015¹⁴
• Campo has not previously held judicial office. He advanced unopposed from the Republican primary for the 263rd District Court on March 3, 2026, and faces incumbent Democrat Melissa Marie Morris in the November 3, 2026 general election².
• 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.