(Note: As I have done in past elections, I am running a series of Q&As for Democratic judicial candidates. I ran a series of these for candidates in contested primaries, and now these are for the rest of the candidates. I am running these responses in the order that I receive them from the candidates. Much more information about Democratic candidates, including links to interviews and judicial Q&As, can be found on Erik Manning’s spreadsheet.
Samantha Davis
1. Who are you and what are you running for?
I’m Samantha Y. Davis, and I'm running for Judge of the 313th Judicial District Court in Harris County. My legal career spans more than 20 years, concentrated in juvenile law, family law, DFPS cases, adoptions, and personal injury. I earned my J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and my undergraduate degree from the University of Houston-Downtown, and I’m a
Native Houstonian who has built my entire career serving this community.
Since 2019, I have served as the Harris County Juvenile Referee and Associate Judge, presiding over detention hearings, trials, and DFPS, adoption, and immigration-related matters in the Harris County Juvenile District Courts, including the 313th itself. That means I am not asking voters to take a chance on someone new to this bench — I am the judge already doing this work, asking for the opportunity to keep doing it as the elected Judge of the 313th.
2. What kind of cases does this court hear?
The 313th Judicial District Court is one of Harris County’s juvenile district courts. It hears juvenile criminal cases involving youth charged with violations of Texas law, and it hears child protection cases brought under the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), including allegations of abuse and neglect, family reunification, and adoption matters.
These are cases where the outcome shapes a child’s safety, a family’s stability, and often a young person’s entire future — which is exactly why I believe experience on this specific docket
matters so much in this race.
3. Why are you running for this particular bench?
I’ve spent the last several years serving this exact court system as the Harris County Juvenile Referee and Associate Judge, presiding over detention hearings, trials, and DFPS, adoption, and immigration-related matters in the Harris County Juvenile District Courts, including the 313th. I know firsthand what this docket demands: the urgency these families are facing, the real consequences of delay, and the balance a judge has to strike every day between accountability and rehabilitation.
I’m running because I believe the 313th needs a judge who has already done this work and understands it from every angle — not someone learning it for the first time — and because I care deeply about the children and families who depend on this court to treat them fairly and move their cases forward without unnecessary delay.
4. What are your qualifications for this job?
My legal career spans more than 20 years, concentrated in juvenile law, family law, DFPS cases, adoptions, and personal injury, with additional experience in probate, civil, and criminal matters. As a solo practitioner from 1999 to 2019, I represented juvenile clients charged with violations of Texas law and represented parents and children involved with DFPS. I was certified to serve as Attorney Ad Litem in Civil, Family, Juvenile, Probate, and Tax Courts, and I am also a Certified Mediator.
Since 2019, I have served as the Harris County Juvenile Referee and Associate Judge, presiding over detention hearings, trials, and DFPS, adoption, and immigration-related matters in the Harris County Juvenile District Courts, including the 313th. That breadth of experience — as defense counsel for juveniles, an advocate for parents and children in DFPS cases, a neutral Attorney Ad Litem, and now a sitting judge — gives me a complete view of how cases move through this court system from every vantage point.
5. Why is this race important?
The 313th Judicial District Court handles matters that directly affect child safety, family stability, and the future of young people in our community. The judge who sits on this bench decides how quickly a child reaches permanency, whether a family gets a real chance at safe reunification, and whether a young person is set on a path toward accountability and rehabilitation, rather than simply punishment.
Delays or inconsistency on this bench have lasting consequences for children and families who have no choice but to be here. Voters in this race are choosing who makes those decisions, and they deserve a judge who already understands this docket and is ready to serve it well, starting on day one.
6. Why should people vote for you in November?
I’m the candidate who is already doing this work. Since 2019, I’ve served as the Harris County Juvenile Referee and Associate Judge, presiding over the same detention hearings, trials, and DFPS matters that come before the 313th, and I bring more than 20 years of legal experience as defense counsel, an advocate for parents and children, and a neutral Attorney Ad Litem before that.
I’ve built a record of applying the law fairly and consistently, treating every child and family who appears before me with dignity, and balancing accountability with real opportunities for rehabilitation. I’m asking voters to elect the judge who is already doing this job on their behalf, and who is ready to keep doing it as the elected Judge of the 313th Judicial District Court.
PREVIOUSLY:
Judge Damiane Dianne Curvey, 280th Family District Court
Judge M. Monica Singh, Harris County Civil Court at Law #4
Judge Cory Sepolio, 269th Civil District Court
From the primaries:
Judge Kristen Hawkins, Supreme Court Justice, Place 7
Sarah Beth Landau, Chief Justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals
Judge Tanya Garrison, 157th Civil District Court
Julia Maldonado, 183rd Criminal District Court
Judge Brian Warren, 209th Criminal District Court
Judge Josh Hill, 232nd Criminal District Court
Judge Leah Shapiro, 315th Juvenile District Court
Judge James Horwitz, Harris County Probate Court #4
Ebony Williams, Harris County Civil Court at Law #2
Judge Andrew Wright, Harris County Criminal Court at Law #7