Julie Countiss

Julie Countiss

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7

Successor: Clint Morgan

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Southern Methodist University, 1993

Law

University of Houston Law Center, 2002

Personal

Birthplace

Texas

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Julie Countiss (Democratic Party) was a judge for Place 7 of the Texas First District Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 2019. She left office on December 31, 2024.

Countiss (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Place 7 judge of the Texas First District Court of Appeals. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Julie Countiss lives in Houston, Texas. She earned a B.A. in history from Southern Methodist University in 1993 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 2002. Countiss’ career experience includes working as assistant county attorney with the Harris County Attorney's Office and as an attorney with The Berry Firm.

Elections

2024

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7

Clint Morgan defeated incumbent Julie Countiss in the general election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Clint Morgan (R)	52.5	1,173,652
		Julie Countiss (D)	47.5	1,061,387

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,235,039
= 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 First District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Julie Countiss advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Countiss	100.0	191,789

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 191,789
= 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 7

Clint Morgan advanced from the Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Clint Morgan	100.0	268,991

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 268,991
= 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 Countiss in this election.

2022

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Terry Adams defeated incumbent Julie Countiss and Theodore Wood in the general election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Terry Adams (R)	50.8	820,060
		Julie Countiss (D)	46.8	756,501
	Submit photo	Theodore Wood (Independent)	2.4	38,560

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,615,121
= 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 Chief Justice

Incumbent Julie Countiss advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Countiss	100.0	199,571

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 199,571
= 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 Chief Justice

Terry Adams advanced from the Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Terry Adams	100.0	254,690

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 254,690
= 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: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7

Julie Countiss defeated Terry Yates in the general election for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Countiss (D)	52.4	906,180
		Terry Yates (R)	47.6	823,106

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,729,286
= 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 7

Julie Countiss advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Julie Countiss

---

	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 First District Court of Appeals Place 7

Terry Yates defeated Katy Boatman in the Republican primary for Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Terry Yates	53.9	119,865
		Katy Boatman	46.1	102,553

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 222,418
= 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

Fredericka Phillips defeated Julie Countiss in the Texas 61st District Court Democratic primary runoff.

Texas 61st District Court, Democratic Primary Runoff, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Fredericka Phillips	50.39%	13,708
Julie Countiss	49.61%	13,498
Total Votes		27,206
Source: Harris County Clerk. "Election Night Results," accessed May 24, 2016

Texas 61st District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Fredericka Phillips	38.16%	60,953
Julie Countiss	35.98%	57,463
Dion Ramos	25.86%	41,297
Total Votes		159,713
Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 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.

Endorsements

Countiss received the following endorsements in 2016:

• Houston Black American Democrats
• National Women's Political Caucus-Texas
• Houston Stonewall Young Dems
• Harris County AFL-CIO
• Communication Workers of America, Local 6222
• Houston Police Officers' Union

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Julie Countiss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Countiss' 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.

Justice Julie Countiss was elected to the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas on November 6, 2018, and sworn into office by her father, retired Justice Richard Countiss. In 2023, she was named Appellate Judge of the Year by the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists.

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?

• As the incumbent, I have spent the last five years working hard to keep my docket moving forward. Our court has met its required clearance rate every year that I have served on this court. In the appellate courts, we decide cases in panels of three judges and issue a written opinion in each case. This takes time and requires careful consideration of the law and the facts. Some cases take longer than others, but I have consistently issued a high number of opinions on the merits each year.
• I believe in the importance of an independent judiciary. My job is to follow and apply the law whether I like a particular law or not. Politics has no place in the courtroom.
• I also believe it is important to mentor law students and help create a diverse pipeline of talent to the bench. This is why I serve on my local Color of Justice Scholarship Committee through the National Association of Women Judges.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The Texas Code of Judicial Conduct prevents me from taking any public policy positions. It would be an ethical violation for me to do so.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My father was also an appellate court justice. He was well-respected for his fair and balanced decisions, his compassion and his humility.

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

I have the greatest admiration for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the United States Supreme Court. Her participation in oral argument is the highest quality I've ever heard. She is the most prepared, strategic and effective justice on the court, in my personal opinion.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus

Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation
Houston Lawyer's Association

Mexican American Bar Association of Houston

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

Julie Countiss did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Julie Countiss completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Countiss' responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1. Working diligently to properly apply the law in each and every case before me. 2. Developing good relationships with my fellow justices. 3. Supporting ideas and programs to help pro se parties in the court system as appropriate.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Equal access to justice for all.

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

A judge must have the right temperament, integrity, compassion, intellect and dedication to serving the public.

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

I believe I have the temperament, integrity, compassion, intellect and dedication to serving the public necessary for this seat on the First Court of Appeals.

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.

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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Julie Countiss campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7	Lost general	$100,537	$124,438
2022	Texas First District Court of Appeals Chief Justice	Lost general	$159,632	$132,985
Grand total			$260,169	$257,422
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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Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 7 2019-2024	Succeeded by Clint Morgan (R)

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