Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

District Judge, 240th Judicial District

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

Fort Bend County
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Asha ReddiRepublican
Surendran K. PattelSurendran K. PattelDemocratic Incumbent
On ballot as
ASHA REDDI
SURENDRAN K. PATTEL
Current role
Attorney, The Reddi Law firm in Sugar Land
Judge, 240th District Court (elected November 2022; in office since January 1, 2023)
Background
  • J.D., South Texas College of Law (graduated December 1989)
  • Licensed to practice law in Texas since November 1991
  • Texas resident for more than 42 years (per campaign)
  • Fort Bend County resident for 27 years (per campaign)
  • Law degree, University of Calicut (1995)
  • Master's degree in international law, University of Houston Law Center (per the court's website)
  • Licensed to practice law in Texas since November 2009
  • Born and raised in Kerala, India
Experience
  • Attorney for more than 34 years (per campaign)
  • Eight years of judicial experience (per campaign)
  • Cases tried in Fort Bend County, Harris County and surrounding jurisdictions (per campaign)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won, 55.6% over Frank Fraley
  • Defeated Edward Krenek in the November 2022 election, 121,762 votes to 121,568
  • Defeated incumbent Judge Frank Fraley in the March 2022 Democratic primary
  • Before taking the bench, founded and ran his own practice, the PKS Law Firm (per his Ballotpedia survey)
  • Ran for 505th District Court (2020); lost the Democratic primary runoff to Kali Morgan
  • Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
  • "Decisions based on the law and facts—not politics, pressure, or personal preference."
  • "Fair and respectful treatment for every person who enters the courtroom."
  • "Strong case management that moves cases promptly while protecting due process."
  • "I look to the legal text itself and try to apply it on the situation at hand. I do not embrace originalism; nor do I believe in legislating from the bench."
  • "As an elected public servant, I remain determined to run my courtroom in as efficient a manner as possible."
  • "A judge must be ever-vigilant regarding the rights and dignity of all who appear before him/her."
Tidbits
  • Judicial philosophy: Campaign site: "Decisions based on the law and facts—not politics, pressure, or personal preference."
  • Court administration: Campaign site: "Strong case management that moves cases promptly while protecting due process."
  • Judicial philosophy: In a 2026 Ballotpedia survey: "I look to the legal text itself and try to apply it on the situation at hand. I do not embrace originalism; nor do I believe in legislating from the bench."
  • Court administration: In a 2026 Ballotpedia survey: "I am especially proud that my hard-working staff and I have eliminated the onerous case backlog that I inherited."
Endorsements
  • Veterans for America First (primary)
  • Fort Bend Business Coalition
  • Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation
  • Black Richmond Rosenberg Area Democrats (listed by campaign)
  • Asian Texans for Justice Action Fund (listed by campaign)
  • Asian American Democrats of Texas (listed by campaign)
Show all 7
  • Texas AFL-CIO (listed by campaign)
  • Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
ashareddi.com
judgesurendran.com

Asha Reddi

Republican
On ballot as
ASHA REDDI
Current role
Attorney, The Reddi Law firm in Sugar Land
Background
  • J.D., South Texas College of Law (graduated December 1989)
  • Licensed to practice law in Texas since November 1991
  • Texas resident for more than 42 years (per campaign)
  • Fort Bend County resident for 27 years (per campaign)
Experience
  • Attorney for more than 34 years (per campaign)
  • Eight years of judicial experience (per campaign)
  • Cases tried in Fort Bend County, Harris County and surrounding jurisdictions (per campaign)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): won, 55.6% over Frank Fraley
Top priorities
  • "Decisions based on the law and facts—not politics, pressure, or personal preference."
  • "Fair and respectful treatment for every person who enters the courtroom."
  • "Strong case management that moves cases promptly while protecting due process."
Tidbits
  • Judicial philosophy: Campaign site: "Decisions based on the law and facts—not politics, pressure, or personal preference."
  • Court administration: Campaign site: "Strong case management that moves cases promptly while protecting due process."
Endorsements
  • Veterans for America First (primary)
Campaign website
ashareddi.com
Surendran K. Pattel

Surendran K. Pattel

Democratic Incumbent
On ballot as
SURENDRAN K. PATTEL
Current role
Judge, 240th District Court (elected November 2022; in office since January 1, 2023)
Background
  • Law degree, University of Calicut (1995)
  • Master's degree in international law, University of Houston Law Center (per the court's website)
  • Licensed to practice law in Texas since November 2009
  • Born and raised in Kerala, India
Experience
  • Defeated Edward Krenek in the November 2022 election, 121,762 votes to 121,568
  • Defeated incumbent Judge Frank Fraley in the March 2022 Democratic primary
  • Before taking the bench, founded and ran his own practice, the PKS Law Firm (per his Ballotpedia survey)
  • Ran for 505th District Court (2020); lost the Democratic primary runoff to Kali Morgan
  • Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
  • "I look to the legal text itself and try to apply it on the situation at hand. I do not embrace originalism; nor do I believe in legislating from the bench."
  • "As an elected public servant, I remain determined to run my courtroom in as efficient a manner as possible."
  • "A judge must be ever-vigilant regarding the rights and dignity of all who appear before him/her."
Tidbits
  • Judicial philosophy: In a 2026 Ballotpedia survey: "I look to the legal text itself and try to apply it on the situation at hand. I do not embrace originalism; nor do I believe in legislating from the bench."
  • Court administration: In a 2026 Ballotpedia survey: "I am especially proud that my hard-working staff and I have eliminated the onerous case backlog that I inherited."
Endorsements
  • Fort Bend Business Coalition
  • Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation
  • Black Richmond Rosenberg Area Democrats (listed by campaign)
  • Asian Texans for Justice Action Fund (listed by campaign)
  • Asian American Democrats of Texas (listed by campaign)
Show all 7
  • Texas AFL-CIO (listed by campaign)
  • Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
judgesurendran.com

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