Who is running for Judge, County Criminal Court No. 9 in 2026?

Attorney, Law Office of Lesa Pamplin, P.C.

Lesa Pamplin founded the Law Office of Lesa Pamplin, P.C. and previously served as an assistant district attorney in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's office¹. She is a former police officer¹. She is the Democratic nominee for County Criminal Court No. 9, challenging incumbent Brian Bolton²¹.

• Founder, Law Office of Lesa Pamplin, P.C.; former assistant district attorney in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's office; former police officer¹
• Her campaign site says she began as a police officer, served as a prosecutor, and has worked 21 years as a defense attorney in private practice (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 Brian Bolton²¹.
• 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 Lesa Pamplin: Strongly Recommend 12.4% (23), Recommend 10.8% (20), Neutral 4.3% (8), Not Recommend 9.1% (17), Strongly Not Recommend 23.1% (43), Skipped 40.3% (75) (percent of the voters who chose that race category, with vote counts). The poll was taken before the March 3 primary⁵⁶.

Judge, County Criminal Court No. 9 (Tarrant County)

Brian Bolton is the sitting judge of County Criminal Court No. 9 in Tarrant County and has held the seat since 2023¹². He previously worked as an attorney at the Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy in Dallas County². He faces Democrat Lesa Pamplin on the November 3, 2026 ballot³.

• Judge, County Criminal Court No. 9 (Tarrant County), since 2023¹²
• Previously an attorney at the Law Offices of Richard C. McConathy in Dallas County²
• His campaign site describes him as a former chief prosecutor and a defense attorney, and says his handling of tens of thousands of cases over twenty years gives him a unique perspective (the candidate's own account, not independently verified)⁴
• Has held the seat since 2023². His campaign site says he was elected in November 2022 (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 Brian Bolton: Strongly Recommend 29.6% (55), Recommend 15.1% (28), Neutral 7.5% (14), Not Recommend 5.4% (10), Strongly Not Recommend 7.5% (14), Skipped 34.9% (65) (percent of the voters who chose that race category, with vote counts). The poll was taken before the March 3 primary⁶⁷.