Who is running for Judge, County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 (Harris County, Texas) in 2026?

Attorney, Griffin & Cain Attorneys at Law, PC

Stella Stevens is an attorney with Griffin & Cain Attorneys at Law, PC, licensed in Texas since 1999, whose listed practice areas are criminal and family law⁴. A sixth-generation Texan, she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and began her legal career as a prosecutor¹. She has not previously held judicial office. She is the Republican nominee for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 against incumbent Democrat David M. Fleischer².

• Attorney, Griffin & Cain Attorneys at Law, PC; criminal and family practice⁴
• Began her legal career as a prosecutor¹
• B.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1996; J.D., University of Houston, 1999; licensed in Texas since November 1999¹⁴
• Stevens has not previously held judicial office. She advanced unopposed from the Republican primary for Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 on March 3, 2026, and faces incumbent Democrat David M. Fleischer 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, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5

David Fleischer has been judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 since January 1, 2019, after winning the open seat in 2018; he was re-elected in 2022¹². A first-generation American whose parents immigrated from Chile, he was a criminal defense attorney before taking the bench¹. His livestreamed courtroom proceedings have drawn national attention and some criticism from defense attorneys¹. He is running for re-election against Republican Stella Stevens².

• Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law No. 5, since January 1, 2019¹²
• Criminal defense attorney before running for office¹
• B.A., University of Houston; J.D., Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 2003; licensed in Texas since November 2004¹⁴
• Fleischer won the open seat in the November 2018 general election, defeating Republican Xavier Alfaro 55.13 percent to 44.87 percent, and was re-elected in November 2022 over Republican Elizabeth Buss, 50.15 percent to 49.85 percent¹². He was unopposed in the 2026 Democratic primary and faces Republican Stella Stevens in the November 3, 2026 general election¹².
• 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.
• With the other misdemeanor judges elected in 2018, Fleischer took part in settling federal litigation over Harris County's misdemeanor bail practices, which a federal court had ruled unconstitutional¹.
• Fleischer livestreams his courtroom proceedings; in 2024 the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association approved printing cards warning defendants that proceedings are livestreamed¹.