Who is running for Family District Judge, 280th District Court in 2026?

Attorney

Rose Cardenas is a Houston-area family law attorney whose campaign page describes 39 years of legal experience¹. She ran for the 280th District Court in 2022 and lost to Damiane Curvey, 49.3% to 50.7%². She is the Republican nominee for the 280th District Court (a family court) in a rematch against incumbent Democrat Damiane Dianne Curvey²³.

• Family law attorney with 39 years of experience, per her campaign's public page¹
• Unsuccessful Republican candidate for the 280th District Court in 2022, losing to Damiane Curvey 49.3% to 50.7%²
• No prior judicial service found in the sources reviewed¹²
• Advanced unopposed from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026, and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot against incumbent Democrat Damiane Dianne Curvey²³.
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's 2026 Judicial Preference Poll, a non-binding poll of HBA members on contested judicial races that the HBA says is not an endorsement, was open as of September 27, 2026, with results due October 9, 2026; no results were published as of this writing⁴.

Judge, 280th District Court (Harris County)

Damiane Dianne Curvey has served as judge of the 280th District Court, a Harris County family district court, since January 1, 2023¹. She is seeking a second term in a rematch against Republican nominee Rose Cardenas (listed as Rosa Cardenas on Ballotpedia), whom she defeated in 2022¹².

• Judge, 280th District Court (Harris County family district court), since January 1, 2023¹
• Defeated incumbent Barbara J. Stalder in the March 2022 Democratic primary, 54.9% to 45.1%, then defeated Republican Rosa Cardenas in November 2022, 50.7% to 49.3%¹. She advanced unopposed from the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot¹².
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's 2026 Judicial Preference Poll, a non-binding poll of HBA members on contested judicial races that the HBA says is not an endorsement, was open as of September 27, 2026, with results due October 9, 2026; no results were published as of this writing³.