Who is running for Criminal District Judge, 495th District Court in 2026?

Attorney, Houston, Texas

Tiffany M. Hill is a Houston attorney who says she has represented clients in criminal defense, civil litigation and family court and later served as a felony associate judge in Harris County¹². She earned a J.D. and a Master of Public Administration from Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law and has been licensed in Texas since 2012¹⁴. She is the Democratic nominee for the 495th District Court against incumbent Republican Lori Ann DeAngelo².

• Attorney for more than a decade in criminal defense, civil litigation and family court matters in Harris County, according to her campaign¹²
• Felony associate judge in Harris County, presiding over felony hearings, motions and trials, according to her campaign; associate judges are appointed, not elected¹²
• President of the Houston Lawyers' Association; adjunct professor at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, according to her campaign¹
• B.A., Texas Southern University, 2008; J.D., Thurgood Marshall School of Law, 2012, and Master of Public Administration; licensed in Texas since November 2012¹²⁴
• Hill has not previously held elected judicial office; her campaign says she has served as a felony associate judge¹. She advanced unopposed from the Democratic primary for the 495th District Court on March 3, 2026, and faces incumbent Republican Lori Ann DeAngelo 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.

Judge, 495th District Court, Harris County

Lori Ann DeAngelo has been judge of the 495th District Court in Harris County since January 1, 2025, by appointment of Governor Greg Abbott; at the time of that appointment she was judge of the 487th District Court¹². Before becoming a judge she was an attorney in private practice and, for more than 20 years, an assistant district attorney in the Harris County District Attorney's Office¹. She is running for a full term against Democrat Tiffany M. Hill².

• Judge, 495th District Court, Harris County, appointed by Governor Greg Abbott effective January 1, 2025¹²
• Judge, 487th District Court, Harris County, at the time of her December 2024 appointment to the 495th¹
• Assistant District Attorney, Harris County District Attorney's Office, for more than 20 years¹
• Attorney in private practice¹
• B.S., Journalism, University of Florida; J.D., Baylor Law School, 1998; licensed in Texas since November 1998¹⁴
• Governor Greg Abbott appointed DeAngelo to the 495th District Court effective January 1, 2025, for a term ending December 31, 2026¹. She advanced unopposed from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026, and is running for a full term against Democrat Tiffany M. Hill 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.