Who is running for Judge, County Criminal Court No. 5 in 2026?

Judge, County Criminal Court No. 5 (Tarrant County)

Brad Clark is the sitting judge of County Criminal Court No. 5 in Tarrant County, listed on the county's misdemeanor courts page as Bradley L. Clark¹, and is seeking a second term after taking office in 2023². He was a prosecutor for seven years, then founded The Clark Law Firm². He faces Democrat Julya Billhymer on the November 3, 2026 ballot³.

• Judge, County Criminal Court No. 5 (Tarrant County), since 2023¹²
• Seven years as an assistant criminal district attorney in Tarrant County, then founder of The Clark Law Firm, focused on criminal and family law²
• His campaign site says he has more than 30 years of criminal law experience, chaired the Criminal Law Section of the Tarrant County Bar Association, and holds a law degree from Baylor University School of Law (the candidate's own account, not independently verified)⁴
• Took office in 2023 and is seeking a second term². His campaign site says he was elected in January 2023 (the candidate's own account)⁴.
• Bar poll: Tarrant County Bar Association 2026 Judicial Candidate Poll (Jan 6 to Jan 29, 2026; 441 of 2,026 eligible attorney members voted, 21.8%). This is a non-binding poll of lawyers, not an endorsement by the Association. Results for Brad Clark: Strongly Recommend 34.9% (65), Recommend 16.1% (30), Neutral 9.1% (17), Not Recommend 3.8% (7), Strongly Not Recommend 6.5% (12), Skipped 29.6% (55) (percent of the voters who chose that race category, with vote counts). The poll was taken before the March 3 primary⁶⁷.

Criminal defense attorney

Julya Billhymer is a former police officer in Dallas and Tarrant counties and a criminal defense attorney for 27 years¹. She is the Democratic nominee for County Criminal Court No. 5 in Tarrant County, challenging incumbent Brad Clark²¹.

• Criminal defense attorney for 27 years; former police officer in Dallas and Tarrant counties¹
• Her campaign site says she was a patrol sergeant in Tarrant and Dallas counties, represented clients in state and federal courts, and holds a law degree from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (the candidate's own account, not independently verified)³
• Not a sitting judge. She is the Democratic nominee on the November 3, 2026 ballot, challenging incumbent Brad Clark²¹.
• Bar poll: Tarrant County Bar Association 2026 Judicial Candidate Poll (Jan 6 to Jan 29, 2026; 441 of 2,026 eligible attorney members voted, 21.8%). This is a non-binding poll of lawyers, not an endorsement by the Association. Results for Julya Billhymer: Strongly Recommend 7.5% (14), Recommend 8.1% (15), Neutral 9.1% (17), Not Recommend 5.9% (11), Strongly Not Recommend 22.0% (41), Skipped 47.3% (88) (percent of the voters who chose that race category, with vote counts). The poll was taken before the March 3 primary⁵⁶.