Kim Cooks
Kim Cooks (Democratic Party) is running for election for judge of the Texas 194th District Court. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Cooks (Democratic Party) was a judge of the Texas 255th District Court. She assumed office on January 1, 2015. She left office on December 31, 2022.
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Dallas County, Texas (2026)
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Texas 194th District Court
Desmond Cooks (D), Kim Cooks (D), and Peggy Hoffman (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Texas 194th District Court on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Desmond Cooks | ||
 | Kim Cooks | |
| Peggy Hoffman | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2024
See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
General election
General election for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 11
Gino Rossini defeated Kim Cooks in the general election for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 11 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gino Rossini (R) | 50.5 | 766,448 |
| Kim Cooks (D) | 49.5 | 751,844 | |
| Total votes: 1,518,292 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 11
Kim Cooks defeated incumbent Cory Carlyle in the Democratic primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 11 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kim Cooks | 59.5 | 90,232 |
 | Cory Carlyle | 40.5 | 61,509 | |
| Total votes: 151,741 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 11
Gino Rossini advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 11 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gino Rossini | 100.0 | 185,898 |
| Total votes: 185,898 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cooks in this election.
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Dallas County, Texas (2022)
General election
The general election was canceled. Vonda Bailey won election in the general election for Texas 255th District Court.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 255th District Court
Vonda Bailey defeated incumbent Kim Cooks in the Democratic primary for Texas 255th District Court on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Vonda Bailey | 58.4 | 68,192 |
| Kim Cooks | 41.6 | 48,476 | |
| Total votes: 116,668 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for Texas 255th District Court
Incumbent Kim Cooks won election in the general election for Texas 255th District Court on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kim Cooks (D) | 100.0 | 472,142 |
| Total votes: 472,142 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Texas 255th District Court
Incumbent Kim Cooks defeated Sandre Moncriffe in the Democratic primary for Texas 255th District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kim Cooks | 53.2 | 59,428 |
 | Sandre Moncriffe | 46.8 | 52,207 | |
| Total votes: 111,635 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2014
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Cooks ran for election to the 255th District Court.
Primary: She was successful in the Democratic primary on March 4, 2014, receiving 59.8 percent of the vote. She competed against Lori Chrisman Hockett.
General: She was unopposed in the general election on November 4, 2014.[1][2][3]
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.[4]
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."[5]
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;*[6]
- 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.[4]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[4]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2024
Kim Cooks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Kim Cooks did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
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.
Education
Cooks earned her B.S. from the University of Texas at Arlington and her J.D. from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2002.[7]
Career
Before her election to the bench, Cooks has been an attorney in private practice at the Law Office of Kim A. Cooks, P.L.L.C.[7]
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)," accessed October 29, 2014
- ↑ Dallas County Board of Elections, "Democratic Party Primary Election March 4, 2014," March 11, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Texas Courts Online, "Administrative Judicial Regions," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 LinkedIn, "Kim Cooks," accessed October 29, 2014
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
