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Sonya Heath
Sonya Heath (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Texas 310th District Court. She assumed office on January 1, 2019. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Heath (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Texas 310th District Court. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Heath completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2022
See also: Municipal elections in Harris County, Texas (2022)
General election
General election for Texas 310th District Court
Incumbent Sonya Heath defeated Andrew Bayley in the general election for Texas 310th District Court on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sonya Heath (D)  | 52.0 | 548,550 |
| Andrew Bayley (R) | 48.0 | 505,741 | ||
| Total votes: 1,054,291 | |||
| = 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 310th District Court
Incumbent Sonya Heath advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 310th District Court on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sonya Heath | 100.0 | 136,885 |
| Total votes: 136,885 | |||
| = 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 310th District Court
Andrew Bayley advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 310th District Court on March 1, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Andrew Bayley | 100.0 | 134,269 | |
| Total votes: 134,269 | |||
| = 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
General election
General election for Texas 310th District Court
Sonya Heath defeated incumbent Lisa Millard in the general election for Texas 310th District Court on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sonya Heath (D) | 56.2 | 663,582 |
| Lisa Millard (R) | 43.8 | 517,767 | ||
| Total votes: 1,181,349 | |||
| = 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 310th District Court
Sonya Heath advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas 310th District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sonya Heath | 100.0 | 131,622 |
| Total votes: 131,622 | |||
| = 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 310th District Court
Incumbent Lisa Millard advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 310th District Court on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lisa Millard | 100.0 | 112,981 | |
| Total votes: 112,981 | |||
| = 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
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.[1]
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."[2]
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;*[3]
- 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.[1]
*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.[1]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sonya Heath completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Heath's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Because of problems at home I had to drop out of high school and became a young mother age 18. I obtained my GED age 36 and started college and went to school at night for 6 years all while working at a law firm and raising 2 kids. I started law school at age 42 and became a judge at age 54. I have been divorced, adopted a baby and gone back and forth on custudy of my children with their father 3 times. I received child support and paid child support. I have personally gone through what almost every litigant in my court is going through.
- Judge Heath is very active in the community and believes in giving back. She is a past president for Rotary and a lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
- Judge Heath has been in legal almost 40 years and been the incumbent for 4 years. For the last 12 years she has focused exclusively on family law.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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
