Chad Bridges

Chad Bridges

Republican Party

Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2030

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Jerry Zimmerer

Prior offices

Texas 240th District Court

Successor: Frank Fraley

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Texas 458th District Court

Predecessor: Robert Rolnick

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Base salary

$192,500

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Boswell High School

Bachelor's

Texas A&M University, 1991

Law

University of Houston Law Center, 1994

Personal

Birthplace

Amarillo, Texas

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney, Judge

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Chad Bridges (Republican Party) is a judge for Place 3 of the Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on December 31, 2030.

Bridges (Republican Party) ran for election for the Place 3 judge of the Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Bridges completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bridges received his undergraduate degree from the Texas A&M University and his J.D. degree from the University of Houston Law Center. His career experience includes working as an attorney and judge. He has been affiliated with the Exchange Club of Fort Bend and Texas A&M Letterman's Association.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Chad Bridges defeated Velda Faulkner in the general election for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chad Bridges (R)	54.0	1,202,180
	Submit photo	Velda Faulkner (D)	46.0	1,024,078

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,226,258
= 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 runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Velda Faulkner defeated incumbent Jerry Zimmerer in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on May 28, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Velda Faulkner	58.5	31,143
		Jerry Zimmerer	41.5	22,055

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 53,198
= 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 Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Velda Faulkner and incumbent Jerry Zimmerer advanced to a runoff. They defeated Chuck Silverman and Mark Ritchie in the Democratic primary for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Velda Faulkner	45.9	94,727
✔		Jerry Zimmerer	23.4	48,201
	Submit photo	Chuck Silverman	18.7	38,673
	Submit photo	Mark Ritchie	12.0	24,726

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 206,327
= 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 Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Chad Bridges advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chad Bridges	100.0	266,064

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 266,064
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bridges in this election.

2022

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

General election

General election for Texas 458th District Court

Chad Bridges defeated Stephen Longoria in the general election for Texas 458th District Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chad Bridges (R)	50.1	121,380
	Submit photo	Stephen Longoria (D)	49.9	120,973

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 242,353
= 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 Texas 458th District Court

Stephen Longoria defeated incumbent Robert Rolnick in the Democratic primary for Texas 458th District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Stephen Longoria	56.1	18,546
	Submit photo	Robert Rolnick	43.9	14,498

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,044
= 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 Texas 458th District Court

Chad Bridges advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 458th District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chad Bridges	100.0	32,403

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,403
= 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.

2020

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5

Amparo Guerra defeated incumbent Terry Adams in the general election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amparo Guerra (D)	50.1	1,155,448
	Submit photo	Terry Adams (R)	49.9	1,150,910

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,306,358
= 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 runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5

Incumbent Terry Adams defeated James Lombardino in the Republican primary runoff for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5 on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Terry Adams	69.2	89,844
	Submit photo	James Lombardino	30.8	40,064

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,908
= 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 Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5

Amparo Guerra defeated Timothy Hootman in the Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amparo Guerra	67.8	235,483
	Submit photo	Timothy Hootman	32.2	112,072

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 347,555
= 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 Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5

Incumbent Terry Adams and James Lombardino advanced to a runoff. They defeated Chad Bridges and Levi J. Benton in the Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Terry Adams	32.5	91,384
✔	Submit photo	James Lombardino	28.5	80,158
		Chad Bridges	25.4	71,372
	Submit photo	Levi J. Benton	13.7	38,472

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 281,386
= 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

See also: Municipal elections in Fort Bend County, Texas (2018)

General election

General election for Texas 240th District Court

Frank Fraley defeated incumbent Chad Bridges in the general election for Texas 240th District Court on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frank Fraley (D)	52.9	132,199
		Chad Bridges (R)	47.1	117,587

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 249,786 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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 Texas 240th District Court

Frank Fraley advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 240th District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Frank Fraley

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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 Texas 240th District Court

Incumbent Chad Bridges advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 240th District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Chad Bridges

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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.

2016

See also: Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Texas held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016. A primary runoff election was held on May 24, 2016, for any seat where the top vote recipient did not receive a majority of the primary vote. Incumbent Chad Bridges ran unopposed in the Texas 240th District Court Republican primary.

Texas 240th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate
Chad Bridges Incumbent

Incumbent Chad Bridges defeated Frank Fraley in the Texas 240th District Court general election.

Texas 240th District Court, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Chad Bridges Incumbent	51.12%	131,583
	Democratic	Frank Fraley	48.88%	125,827
Total Votes				257,410
Source: Fort Bend, Texas, "Official Results," accessed December 15, 2016

Selection method

See also: Partisan election of judges

The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.

Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."

Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:

• a U.S. citizen;
• a resident of Texas;
• licensed to practice law in the state;
• between the ages of 25 and 75;*
• a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
• a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.

*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.

2014

See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Bridges ran for election to the First District Court of Appeals.
Primary: He was defeated in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 21.7 percent of the vote. He competed against Russell Lloyd and Dan Linebaugh.

Judicial poll

Below are the results of the 2014 judicial poll, conducted by the State Bar of Texas, which asked attorneys to cast a vote in favor of their preferred candidate in each appellate race.

Place 3 Justice
Candidate:	Votes:
Chad Bridges	341
Dan Linebaugh	273
Russell Lloyd	934
Jim Sharp	1015

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Chad Bridges completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bridges' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a District Court Judge with 5 years of judicial experience. I preside over a general jurisdiction district court, which means I handle both civil and criminal cases. I am Board Certified in Criminal Law. I preside over Fort Bend County's Felony Drug Treatment Court and Fort Bend County's Reintegration Docket. I have significantly reduced the backlog I inherited in my court.

I was also an Assistant District Attorney for over two decades. As a chief prosecutor I received the Carol Rees Award for outstanding service to crime victims. I was president of the Fort Bend County Crime Victims Response Team for 8 years. I have been published by the Texas Center for the Judiciary, I have trained judges for Texas Council on Family Violence, I have been a faculty advisor for the Texas District and County Attorney's Advanced Prosecutor Skills Course and their Basic Trial Skills Course. I have trained volunteers for the Fort Bend Women's Center and the Gus George Law Enforcement Academy. I have a significant amount of appellate experience.

My wife and I met in law school. We were mock trial partners in our trial advocacy course. We have been married for 28 years and we have two children.

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?

• Bring more collegiality to the 14th Court of Appeals
• Provide the opportunity for more oral arguments for litigants
• Treat litigants, attorneys, and court staff with respect

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about improving and reforming our criminal justice system

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

As a judicial candidate, the most important characteristics are fairness, knowledge of the law and a commitment to follow the law in all situations.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have already been a successful officeholder. I think the success comes from experience and a willingness to work hard.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To follow the law, put aside partisanship and efficiently complete the people's business.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave an improved system of justice that promotes both safety and fairness.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Bicentennial in 1976. I was seven years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I had a summer job working for my local school district back in the 1980's for two summers.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I don't have one. When I read, it is mostly statutes and caselaw.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I don't have one

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I'm a Believer

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Parenthood. But it was worth it.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Intermediate Appellate Courts in Texas are the last court of review available in 80% of appeals.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Cathy Cochran, Belinda Hill and Charles Seymore

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

It can be - but empathy cannot be a reason to apply the law unevenly.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

I won the State of Texas Bar poll for this position earlier this year.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I want to improve the efficiency and collegiality of the 14th Court of Appeals.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, but it is not required.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Partisan sweeps have caused instability. In these sweeps, good judges (from both parties) are often replaced by people with little experience.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

Texas has already experienced a tremendous amount of criminal justice reform in the past eight years. However, as Texas continues to grow there will all be a need/opportunity for evaluation and improvement.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

No.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Yes.

Tell us your favorite joke.

I don't have a favorite joke

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

HPOU, Fort Bend Business Coalition, TLR, Retired Justice Charles Seymore.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Government officials need oversight both in serving and campaigning.

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.

2022

Chad Bridges did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Chad Bridges did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Chad Bridges campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3	Won general	$94,500	$88,243
Grand total			$94,500	$88,243
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Candidate

Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

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Officeholder

Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Website

Personal

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jerry Zimmerer (D)	Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Robert Rolnick (D)	Texas 458th District Court 2023-2025	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Texas 240th District Court -2018	Succeeded by Frank Fraley (D)

Texas courts

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Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas

State courts:

Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts

State resources:

Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas

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