Who is running for Judge, County Civil Court at Law No. 1 in 2026?

Judge, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1

Sonia Lopez was appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court in December 2025 to Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 and took the bench on February 1, 2026, replacing Judge Audrie Lawton-Evans¹. Before that she was associate judge for the Harris County Civil Courts at Law, associate general counsel at Lone Star College, grievance director for the Houston Federation of Teachers, and chief of staff to State Rep. Ana Hernandez¹. She is seeking election to the seat against Republican nominee Jamie King².

• Judge, Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1, since February 1, 2026, by appointment of the Harris County Commissioners Court¹
• Associate Judge, Harris County Civil Courts at Law, overseeing the eviction docket, before her appointment to the bench¹
• Associate general counsel, Lone Star College, from 2022¹
• Grievance director, Houston Federation of Teachers, for more than six years after law school¹
• Chief of staff to State Rep. Ana Hernandez for five years¹
• B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 2007; J.D., South Texas College of Law, 2015¹
• Appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court in December 2025 (December 11, 2025, per her campaign) and took the bench February 1, 2026¹³. She advanced unopposed from the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary⁴ and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot against Republican Jamie King².
• 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 writing⁵.

Candidate (occupation not confirmed in sources reviewed)

Jamie King is the Republican nominee on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1, against incumbent Democrat Sonia Lopez¹². Paul Coselli won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for this seat; the sources reviewed did not explain how King became the nominee³. Detailed biographical information was not found in the sources reviewed.

• No prior judicial service found in the sources reviewed¹⁴
• Named on the official ballot as the Republican nominee for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1¹². She was not on the March 3, 2026 Republican primary ballot, which Paul Coselli won unopposed³.
• 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 writing⁵.