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Kyle Carter (Texas)
Kyle Carter is a judge of the Texas 125th District Court. His current term ends on December 31, 2028.
Carter (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 125th District Court. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Carter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kyle Carter was born in Houston, Texas. Carter earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998 and a J.D. from the South Texas College of Law in 2000. His career experience includes working as a judge, senior litigation associate, trial lawyer, and general counsel.
Carter has served as president of the Texas Association of District Judges, founder and president of Judges at Work in Schools and Judges Out in Neighborhoods, founder and president of Join, Inc., and co-chair to the Houston Bar Association Campaign to End Homelessness and Hunger. He has been on the board of directors for the Bayou City Art Festival and the editorial board for the Houston Lawyer Magazine and has been affiliated with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Prior to his appointment, he was in private practice.[1][2][3]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2024)
General election
General election for Texas 125th District Court
Incumbent Kyle Carter won election in the general election for Texas 125th District Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kyle Carter (D)  | 100.0 | 941,867 |
| Total votes: 941,867 | |||
| = 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 125th District Court
Incumbent Kyle Carter defeated Andrea Zepeda and Lema Mousilli in the Democratic primary for Texas 125th District Court on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kyle Carter | 56.5 | 86,549 |
 | Andrea Zepeda | 34.9 | 53,425 | |
 | Lema Mousilli | 8.6 | 13,139 | |
| Total votes: 153,113 | |||
| = 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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Endorsements
To view Carter's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Carter in this election.
2022
See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
General election
General election for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2
Incumbent Kevin Jewell defeated Cheri Thomas in the general election for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kevin Jewell (R) | 51.9 | 835,179 |
 | Cheri Thomas (D) | 48.1 | 772,544 | |
| Total votes: 1,607,723 | |||
| = 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 Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2
Cheri Thomas defeated Kyle Carter in the Democratic primary for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cheri Thomas | 58.9 | 123,720 |
| Kyle Carter | 41.1 | 86,401 | |
| Total votes: 210,121 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2
Incumbent Kevin Jewell advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kevin Jewell | 100.0 | 251,056 |
| Total votes: 251,056 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign finance
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2020)
General election
General election for Texas 125th District Court
Incumbent Kyle Carter won election in the general election for Texas 125th District Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kyle Carter (D) | 100.0 | 1,042,490 |
| Total votes: 1,042,490 | |||
| = 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 125th District Court
Incumbent Kyle Carter advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 125th District Court on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kyle Carter | 100.0 | 232,768 |
| Total votes: 232,768 | |||
| = 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
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.[4] Incumbent Kyle Carter ran unopposed in the Texas 125th District Court Democratic primary.[5]
| Texas 125th District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kyle Carter Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 148,477 |
| Total Votes | 148,477 | |
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Democratic Party Cumulative Report-Unofficial," accessed March 2, 2016 | ||
Incumbent Kyle Carter defeated Sharon Hemphill in the Texas 125th District Court general election.
| Texas 125th District Court, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kyle Carter Incumbent |
52.83% | 671,539 | |
| Republican | Sharon Hemphill | 47.17% | 599,526 | |
| Total Votes | 1,271,065 | |||
| Source: Harris County, Texas, "Election Results," accessed December 9, 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.[6]
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."[7]
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;*[8]
- 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.[6]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[6]
2014
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2014
Carter ran for election to the Fourteenth District Court of Appeals.
Primary: He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on March 4, 2014.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 42.4 percent of the vote. He competed against Kem Frost.[9][10]
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.[11]
| Chief Justice | |
| Candidate: | Votes: |
|---|---|
| Kyle Carter | 1284 |
| Kem Frost | 1286 |
2012
Carter ran for re-election to the 125th District Court and defeated challenger John Coselli with 50.1 percent of the vote.[12][13]
- See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012
Campaign themes
2024
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 8, 2024 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kyle Carter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Carter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- My top priorities are to continue to use my experience to improve on the quality of justice that is provided in the 125th District Court while ensuring that every person who comes into the courtroom is treated with equality, dignity, and respect. I will continue to look for ways to make the court more accessible to everyone.
- Second, I will continue to advocate for improvements to our court system. I will continue to work with local and state officials to create additional courts. Additionally, the courts are drastically underfunded. We must have the resources necessity to provide the public with a court system consistent with their expectations and their rights.
- Finally, I will continue to be a community servant and work with charities and other organizations to improve the quality of life for everyone in Harris County. I have created two charities, Judges at Work in Schools ("JAWS") and Judges Out in Neighborhoods ("JOIN")to effect change in our community. I have worked with the Houston Community Re-Entry Network. Additionally, I co-host the annual Carter Brother Back to School Giveaway, providing backpacks and school supplies to students and families in need. Through my charitable organizations, I also host many community events such as our an annual Thanksgiving Day of Service where I work with other judges and local charities to provide meals to families in need.
Houston Firefighters Professional Association
Houston Federation of Teachers
Latino Labor Leadership Council
LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
Houston Black American Democrats
Area 5 Democrats
Houston Lawyers Association
Association of Women Attorneys
Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
Bay Area New Democrats
HarrisCountyDemocrats.com
Greater Heights Area Democrats
Harris County Democratic Endorsed
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.
Note: Carter submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on February 10, 2024.
2022
Kyle Carter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Kyle Carter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Awards and associations
- Houston Bar Association
- Houston Young Lawyers Association
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America
- Texas trial Lawyers Association
- Who's Who's International Historical Society[2]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Houston Opinions Website Profile
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Off the Kuff Website Profile
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 9, 2024
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Important 2016 Election Dates," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed December 18, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 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
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (A-L)"
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2014 March Primary Election Candidate Filings by County (M-Z)" (Search "Austin")
- ↑ State Bar of Texas, "Judicial Poll results," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," November 6, 2012
- ↑ Harris County, Texas-2012 General Elections Results
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
