Chantal Eldridge

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Chantal Eldridge

Democratic Party

Texas 331st District Court

Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

6

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Law

Santa Clara University School of Law

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Personal Facebook

Chantal Eldridge (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Texas 331st District Court. Eldridge assumed office on January 1, 2019. Eldridge's current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Eldridge (Democratic Party) won re-election for judge of the Texas 331st District Court outright after the general election on November 8, 2022, was canceled.

Biography

Eldridge received her B.S. in business administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She earned her J.D. from the University of Santa Clara School of Law. Eldridge is a private practice attorney specializing in criminal law.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Travis County, Texas (2022)

General election

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Chantal Eldridge won election in the general election for Texas 331st District Court.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas 331st District Court

Incumbent Chantal Eldridge defeated Jessica Huynh in the Democratic primary for Texas 331st District Court on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chantal Eldridge	59.8	57,542
	Submit photo	Jessica Huynh	40.2	38,636

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 96,178
= 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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2018

General election

General election for Texas 331st District Court

Chantal Eldridge won election in the general election for Texas 331st District Court on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chantal Eldridge (D)	100.0	350,038

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 350,038
= 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 331st District Court

Chantal Eldridge defeated incumbent David Crain in the Democratic primary for Texas 331st District Court on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chantal Eldridge	69.2	68,348
		David Crain	30.8	30,427

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 98,775
= 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

See also: Texas local trial court judicial elections, 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. Brad Urrutia defeated Chantal Eldridge in the Texas 450th District Court Democratic primary.

Texas 450th District Court, Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Brad Urrutia	53.14%	58,464
Chantal Eldridge	46.86%	51,549
Total Votes (100)		110,013
Source: Travis County Clerk, "Unofficial Results: Democratic Cumulative Results," accessed March 2, 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.

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."

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;*
• 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.

*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Chantal Eldridge did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Eldridge provided the following description of her political philosophy to Ballotpedia:

“	My commitment is to justice to every member of the community. I would like to broaden the parameters for personal bonds through pretrial release services and schedule bond settings as soon as a case is assigned to my court to determine whether to grant a personal bond or schedule a bond reduction hearing. I would expand the Phoenix Court Program to felony court so that felony defendants have access to the resources and benefits available through this program, and I would like to expand access to and encourage participation in other existing diversion programs through my court. I would implement effective rehabilitation tools through probation, including community partnerships with trade unions and other employers willing to employ ex-felons. I chose to run for the 331st District Court because for the past 8 years, my opponent has neither implemented nor participated in any progressive programs to help divert appropriate defendants from prison or to rehabilitate them into contributing members of society. Without opportunities to keep a felony conviction off a person’s record or rehabilitation tools which enable them to get housing and employment, we are condemning these individuals to the shadows of our community and increasing the probability that they will re-offend.	”
—Chantal Eldridge, 2018

She added:

“	I have been a successful trial attorney for over 28 years, handling cases from the most serious offenses such as murder and continuous sexual assault of a child to Class B misdemeanors such as possession of marijuana. I am on the highest level of the appointment panels in Travis County, including 1st degree felony appeals, having been vetted by a panel of my peers, and I have demonstrated that I have both the legal experience and knowledge of the law that I need to be your judge. I have represented indigent defendants who could not afford legal representation for over twenty years. Why? Because I believe in helping people, and everyone has a right to quality legal representation. I have represented people who were innocent of the accusations against them, and I have represented people who were guilty. From working on the front lines of criminal defense, I know that most people enter the criminal justice system for a variety of reasons, including mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness and desperation, youthful immaturity and poor judgment. As the only progressive candidate in this race, I am asking for your vote for the 331st District Court.	”
—Chantal Eldridge, 2018

2016

Eldridge's campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:

“	MISSION As many of you know, I have made the exciting decision to run for 450th District Court Judge in Travis County. I have been working diligently to gain the support of each and every Travis County resident. I am proud to be asking to be a part of the Travis County Criminal Justice System as I believe it is one of the most progressive in the country. However, it can be improved. I believe that we must strive harder to address the issues which cause people to enter the system, such as mental health/intellectual & developmental disabilities (MH/IDD), substance abuse, unemployment and housing. By improving the way we address these issues, we improve our chances of reducing recidivism, and by improving the lives of our defendants and their families, we, in turn, improve our community. VALUES While it is early in the election process, and I would like for my campaign to continue to gain momentum as we head toward the primaries, I make this promise to you. I intend to be one of the hardest working judges for Travis County, and I intend to improve upon the excellent criminal justice model that Travis County has created. I have a fundamental belief that justice is about people, community values, and unbiased application of the law. Since moving to Austin more than a decade ago, I have fallen in love with this community and its citizens, and I am grateful to raise my son in a community that embraces individuality and independent thought as well as community ideals. I would like to give back to the community that has given my son and me so much. Please help me to accomplish this goal by signing up as a volunteer. VISION Folks at the courthouse know me to be honest, fair and compassionate. As an MH/IDD attorney, I work with some of the most difficult and vulnerable defendants, and cases which pose the most difficult issues for resolution because of the delicate balance between helping a defendant with special issues and protecting the public. I believe this specialized experience makes me more qualified to meet the demands of a criminal district court judge than any other candidate. I have been an attorney since 1989, and I have practiced predominately criminal defense for over twenty years. I know the law, I know the system, and I know the people that I serve.	”
—Chantal Eldridge (2016),

Endorsements

2016

Eldridge's campaign website listed the following endorsements for the Democratic primary:

• Former District Judge Charlie Baird
• Alan Dershowitz
• Northeast Travis County Democrats
• Former Tennessee State Rep. Frank Buck (D)
• Circle C Area Democrats
• National Women's Political Caucus-Texas

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Chantal Eldridge did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Texas 331st District Court

Website

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