Who is running for District Judge, 428th Judicial District in 2026?

Prosecutor, Caldwell County District Attorney's Office

Cassie Benoist-Templeton is the Democratic nominee for the 428th District Court in Hays County¹. She has spent more than twelve years as a prosecutor of serious crimes against women and children in the Caldwell County District Attorney's Office, and describes herself as a felony prosecutor²³. She won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary over incumbent Judge Joe Pool⁵ and a third candidate in the official county results⁴.

• Prosecutor, Caldwell County District Attorney's Office, for about twelve years, handling serious crimes against women and children; in her questionnaire she described the work as complex felony cases²³
• Texas State University (criminal justice); J.D., Oklahoma City University School of Law²
• Director at large, League of Women Voters of Hays County, 2024 to 2025; board member, Scheib Center, a Hays County mental health center³
• Recognized by the Hays-Caldwell Women's Center in 2024 and by Roxanne's House, a child advocacy center, in April 2025²
• Won the Democratic nomination in the March 3, 2026 primary with 20,218 votes (66.53 percent) in the official county results, ahead of incumbent Judge Joe Pool⁵ (6,997) and Bill Henry (3,175)⁴. She has not held judicial office.

Attorney, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Paul Still is the Republican nominee for the 428th District Court in Hays County¹. He began his career as a law clerk at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, served as an assistant district attorney in Harris County, and later provided legal counsel to judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals². The seat's incumbent, Judge Joe Pool⁵, finished second in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary in the official county results⁴ and is not on the November ballot¹.

• Law clerk, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, early in his legal career²
• Assistant District Attorney, Harris County, working with law enforcement, emergency responders and victims²
• Attorney providing legal counsel to judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals²; at a Sept. 15, 2026 forum he described himself as a board-certified criminal appellate attorney working for that court and a former Harris County prosecutor³
• Won the Republican nomination as the only candidate on the March 3, 2026 Republican primary ballot, with 15,107 votes in the official county results⁴. He has not held judicial office.