Patricia Burns
2025 - Present
2026
0
Patricia Burns (Republican Party) (formerly Patricia Cole) is a judge of the Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1 in Texas. She assumed office on March 22, 2025. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Burns (Republican Party) (formerly Patricia Cole) ran for election for judge of the Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1 in Texas. She lost in the Republican primary runoff on May 22, 2018.
Biography
Patricia Burns earned a B.A. in general studies from Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1996 and a J.D. from Texas A&M University in 2000. Burns' career experience includes working as an attorney at Decker Jones, P.C. She volunteered as the chair of Clark Educational Services, Inc., which describes its goal as, “to provide additional financial assistance to international music students studying on scholarships and to promote music in low income elementary schools.”[1][2]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1
Chris Ponder won election in the general election for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Chris Ponder (R) | 100.0 | 354,141 | |
| Total votes: 354,141 | |||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1
Chris Ponder defeated Patricia Burns in the Republican primary runoff for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Chris Ponder | 51.1 | 16,214 | |
 | Patricia Burns | 48.9 | 15,510 | |
| Total votes: 31,724 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1
Patricia Burns and Chris Ponder advanced to a runoff. They defeated Mark Sullivan, Catherine Goodman, and Louis Stefanos in the Republican primary for Tarrant County Probate Court No. 1 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patricia Burns | 34.8 | 31,242 |
| ✔ | Chris Ponder | 25.3 | 22,647 | |
| Mark Sullivan | 17.6 | 15,826 | ||
| Catherine Goodman | 15.1 | 13,542 | ||
| Louis Stefanos | 7.2 | 6,418 | ||
| Total votes: 89,675 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Selection method
- See also: Partisan election of judges
Judges of the probate 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.[3]
Qualifications
To serve on a county court, a judge must:[3]
- 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.
See also
- Courts in Texas
- Local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Municipal elections in Tarrant County, Texas (2018)
External links
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Personal |
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
