Who is running for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2 (Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5, Texas) in 2026?

Candidate; former Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 1 (Harris County)

Mark Fury was elected Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 1, in Harris County in 1996²⁵. He was suspended in 2001 after being indicted over employee time sheets, resigned in May 2003 under an agreement with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and in June 2003 received two years' deferred adjudication probation after pleading no contest to four misdemeanor counts of tampering with a government document; he was released from probation early in 2004¹²⁵. He defeated incumbent Republican Bob Wolfe in the March 2026 primary and faces Democratic nominee Lisa Jefferson for Precinct 5, Place 2³⁶.

• Justice of the Peace, Harris County Precinct 5, Place 1, elected 1996; suspended in 2001 and resigned effective May 11, 2003²⁵
• His campaign says he served two terms and reduced a large case backlog; these are campaign statements⁴
• Defeated incumbent Republican Bob Wolfe in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2, 53.8% to 46.2%³, and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot against Democrat Lisa Jefferson⁶.
• 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 writing⁷.
• Public discipline: State Commission on Judicial Conduct: after a complaint opened in May 2001 over alleged mishandling of employees' time records and eight grand jury indictments in October 2001, the Commission suspended Judge Fury on October 29, 2001. In May 2003 he signed a voluntary agreement to resign from the bench effective May 11, 2003, in lieu of further disciplinary action; the agreement states he did not admit guilt and does not bar him from serving as a judge in the future⁵. Criminal case: in June 2003 he was sentenced to two years' probation with deferred adjudication and a $4,000 fine after pleading no contest to four misdemeanor counts of tampering with a government document, reduced from eight felony charges; prosecutors said he had employees sign time sheets showing fewer hours than they worked and gave them extra time off instead of overtime pay, and he was not accused of taking public money¹². A judge granted early release from probation in May 2004; under deferred adjudication there was no formal conviction².

Justice of the Peace court clerk (Harris County)

Lisa Jefferson says in her Ballotpedia candidate survey that she has worked in Harris County Justice of the Peace courts since June 2012, starting as a court clerk and rising to chief clerk of a JP court, after more than 15 years in human resources; she graduated from Klein Forest High School and studied criminal justice at Prairie View A&M University¹. She is the Democratic nominee for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2, against Republican nominee Mark Fury¹².

• Court clerk and later chief clerk in Harris County Justice of the Peace courts since June 2012, working with nine judges across five JP courts, per her candidate survey¹
• More than 15 years of human resources experience, per her candidate survey¹
• Studied criminal justice at Prairie View A&M University; graduate of Klein Forest High School¹
• No prior judicial service found in the sources reviewed¹
• Defeated Davis Darusman in the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary, 62.0% to 38.0%, and is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot against Republican Mark Fury¹².
• 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.