Audrie Lawton-Evans

Audrie Lawton-Evans

Democratic Party

Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

4

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2026

Appointed

August 10, 2021

Contact

Personal Facebook

Audrie Lawton-Evans (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 in Texas. She assumed office on August 10, 2021. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Lawton-Evans (Democratic Party) ran in a special election for Harris County Attorney in Texas. She lost in the special Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.

Elections

2026

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2026)

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Special general election for Harris County Attorney

Abbie Kamin (D) and Jacqueline Lucci Smith (R) are running in the special general election for Harris County Attorney on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Abbie Kamin (D)
	Submit photo	Jacqueline Lucci Smith (R)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Special Democratic primary for Harris County Attorney

Abbie Kamin (D) defeated Audrie Lawton-Evans (D) in the special Democratic primary for Harris County Attorney on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abbie Kamin	50.5	156,737
		Audrie Lawton-Evans	49.5	153,342

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 310,079
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Special Republican primary for Harris County Attorney

Jacqueline Lucci Smith (R) advanced from the special Republican primary for Harris County Attorney on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jacqueline Lucci Smith	100.0	146,929

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	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 146,929
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Lawton-Evans received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• Asian American Democrats of Texas

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2022)

General election

General election for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1

Incumbent Audrie Lawton-Evans defeated James Lombardino in the general election for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Audrie Lawton-Evans (D)	51.4	547,334
	Submit photo	James Lombardino (R)	48.6	518,013

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,065,347
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1

Incumbent Audrie Lawton-Evans advanced from the Democratic primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Audrie Lawton-Evans	100.0	139,181

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 139,181
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1

James Lombardino advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	James Lombardino	100.0	135,049

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 135,049
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

General election

General election for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2

Sharon M. Burney defeated Daniel Caldwell in the general election for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sharon M. Burney (D)	87.1	80,820
		Daniel Caldwell (R)	12.9	12,003

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 92,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2

Sharon M. Burney defeated Cheryl Elliott Thornton in the Democratic primary runoff for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2 on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sharon M. Burney	54.4	4,867
	Submit photo	Cheryl Elliott Thornton	45.6	4,082

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 8,949
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2

Sharon M. Burney and Cheryl Elliott Thornton advanced to a runoff. They defeated Audrie Lawton-Evans and Ray Shackelford in the Democratic primary for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sharon M. Burney	31.9	7,294
✔	Submit photo	Cheryl Elliott Thornton	24.6	5,637
		Audrie Lawton-Evans	22.5	5,155
	Submit photo	Ray Shackelford	21.0	4,809

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 22,895
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2

Daniel Caldwell advanced from the Republican primary for Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7 Place 2 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Caldwell	100.0	2,277

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 2,277
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Selection method

The members of the Texas Justice of the Peace Courts are elected in partisan elections and serve four-year terms. They are elected in a precinct-wide election.

To serve as a justice of the peace, justices must complete a 40-hour course on relevant duties within one year of his or her election. They must also complete a similar 20-hour course each year they continue to serve.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Audrie Lawton-Evans did not complete Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Lawton-Evans' campaign website stated the following:

Defending Harris County from Right-Wing Extremists

Harris County has become a prime target for MAGA extremists attacking our elections, voting rights, local governance, and the people we’ve elected to represent us. Judge Lawton-Evans will always zealously defend Harris County in the courtroom and in the court of public opinion to push back against these threats and protect our democratic values. 

Protecting Our Environment

The people of Harris County have a right to raise their families without worrying about the air they breathe or the water they drink. Too many communities—especially communities of color and working-class neighborhoods—are threatened by polluters, from concrete batch plants to the dangerous storage of chemicals and explosives, fueling serious health risks and new cancer clusters. As County Attorney, Judge Lawton-Evans will always hold polluters accountable and fight for environmental justice and public health.

Protecting Consumers

Judge Lawton-Evans understands that affordability and the rising cost of living is the number one issue residents face. While residents try to stretch every dollar, unscrupulous businesses and scammers are are cheating working families through scams, price gouging, and deed fraud. As County Attorney, Lawton-Evans will strengthen consumer enforcement, enhance the county’s consumer complaints portal to better identify and root out fraud, and launch a groundbreaking, county-wide consumer protection campaign so residents know the County has their back. She will also expand the County Attorney office’s existing Consumer Protection Division so scammers and bad actors know Harris County is watching at all times.

Building a Better Government Through Transparency & Accountability

As a Judge, Lawton-Evans understands the importance of administering an open and transparent government rooted in respect for the law. She believes trust in government is earned through openness, fairness, and accountability. That means making sure the public can access the records it requests and that taxpayer dollars are spent transparently and responsibly. She will work with county leaders and community members to build a government that is efficient, effective, and accountable to the people it serves.



— Audrie Lawton-Evans' campaign website (March 4, 2026)

Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

2022

Audrie Lawton-Evans completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lawton-Evans' responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Hi my name is Audrie Lawton Evans. On August 10, 2021, I was appointed to the bench by unanimous vote of the Harris County Commissioner's Court. I am the presiding judge of Harris County Civil Court No.1. Currently I serve as the Administrative Judge of all of the Harris County Civil Courts. As judge of this court, I am proud of the work my colleagues and I have done. The county courts at law handle over 4,500 cases per court per year.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I believe the judiciary’s job is to facilitate the efficient resolution of disputes. As a judge, I am responsible for maintaining decorum in the court room, making sure that all parties have equal access to the legal system, and to render the prompt and fair resolution of cases filed in court.
• have always had an affinity for this particular court. As a practicing attorney for 20 years, I have tried a good number of cases in the county courts at law. I believe that I have the requisite experience and the right temperament to be a great judge. In fact, on August 10, 2021, the Harris County Commissioner’s Court appointed me by unanimous vote to my position as judge of Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 1. Since my appointment, I have hit the ground running, managing a large docket from day one. I am excited about my new position and eager to continue the work for years to come.
• In the upcoming year, I hope to focus on reviewing the courts’ systems and procedures to streamline the administrative side of the judicial process. At our very core, the court provides a service to the community. As such, I would like to revamp the court’s website and online presence. In addition, because of the pandemic, the court system has had to utilize technology in a whole new way. For example, I plan to continue zoom hearings for certain cases where it makes sense. Overall, I want to ensure that a person’s experience with my court is practical and easy to navigate.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As the Administrative Judge, I am tasked with maintaining cohesiveness among the courts, disseminating information to our constituents, and reviewing and ensuring that our courts are following all Texas Supreme Court and other administrative orders. During my tenure thus far, I implemented our Fall Open House, an online event to give the public and attorneys a chance to hear all about the court and provide resources to the community. I also facilitated Active Shooter training for all courtroom personnel as well as other safety procedures.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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