Sara Martinez
Sara Martinez (Democratic Party) is a judge for Precinct 5-1 of the Dallas County Justice of the Peace in Texas. She assumed office in 2015. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Martinez (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Precinct 5-1 judge of the Dallas County Justice of the Peace in Texas. She was on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Sara Martinez graduated from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School. She earned a law degree from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 2004. Her career experience includes working as a judge.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Dallas County, Texas (2026)
General election
The primary occurred on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1
Incumbent Sara Martinez (D) and Nancy Thompson (D) ran in the Democratic primary for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Sara Martinez  | |
| Nancy Thompson | ||
| ||||
| = 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
The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Dallas County, Texas (2022)
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Sara Martinez won election in the general election for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1
Incumbent Sara Martinez defeated Andre Turner in the Democratic primary for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1 on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sara Martinez | 69.1 | 14,936 |
| Andre Turner | 30.9 | 6,692 | ||
| Total votes: 21,628 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Johnny Gomez (D)
2018
General election
The general election was canceled. Incumbent Sara Martinez won election in the general election for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1
Incumbent Sara Martinez advanced from the Democratic primary for Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sara Martinez | 100.0 | 17,630 |
| Total votes: 17,630 | |||
| = 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
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the county courts are elected in partisan elections by the county they serve and serve four-year terms, with vacancies filled by a vote of the county commissioners.[2]
Qualifications
To serve on a county court, a judge must:[2]
- be at least 25 years old;
- be a resident of his or her respective county for at least two years; and
- have practiced law or served as a judge for at least four years preceding the election.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sara Martinez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Martinez's responses.
| Collapse all
- I preside over the court with efficiency and professionalism. In the last 3 years, I’ve disposed of over 25,300 cases. JP courts are high volume courts and our most recent audit found only 1 error during the review period.
- I’ve invested in a well trained and diverse staff. All court clerks attend yearly training to ensure they can provide effective customer service. Training for clerks is not required by the state, but I ensure staff receives training. I also have a diverse staff with 50% of them being bilingual. Staff is reflective of the community we serve.
- I have dedicated my career to public service and have served as a grant writer, social services coordinator and public defender before being elected. I have the experience, education and compassion to continue serving.
Texas State Reps Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, Jessica Gonzalez, and Venton Jones
Dallas County Commissioners Elba Garcia, John Wiley Price and Andrew Sommerman
Dallas County Treasurer Pauline Medrano
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
Sara Martinez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Dallas County Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 Place 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 29, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed January 14, 2016
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
