Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

Criminal District Judge, 248th Judicial District

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

Harris County
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
David W. OverhulsDavid W. OverhulsRepublican
Hilary UngerHilary UngerDemocratic Incumbent
On ballot as
DAVID W. OVERHULS
HILARY UNGER
Current role
Attorney in private practice (per campaign)
Judge, 248th District Court, Harris County (since Jan. 1, 2019)
Background
  • Undergraduate degree, Baylor University (per campaign)
  • Law degree with honors, Georgetown University Law Center (per campaign)
  • Lifelong Harris County resident; raised in the Humble area (per campaign)
  • Law degree, University of Florida (per campaign)
  • Grew up in Miami Beach, Florida (per campaign)
  • Moved to Houston in 2007 (per campaign)
Experience
  • Own law practice (per campaign)
  • Harris County prosecutor (start of career); cases "from DWI to murder"; large drug-trafficking investigations and prosecutions (per campaign)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): advanced
  • Second term
  • Presides over the Young Women's Docket (per campaign)
  • Volunteer, STAR Drug Court (per campaign)
  • Former chair, Fair Defense Act Management System (FDAMS) Committee (per campaign)
  • Prosecutor and public defender, New York (per campaign)
Top priorities
  • Wants "to bring integrity, experience, and fairness to the courtroom"
  • "justice should be administered with both strength and compassion"
  • "every person deserves to be treated with respect"
  • "Supporting alternatives to incarceration where appropriate"
  • "Treating everyone" in the courtroom "with patience, dignity, and respect"
  • "Protecting the rights of crime victims while ensuring due process"
Tidbits
  • Judicial philosophy: Campaign site: believes "justice should be administered with both strength and compassion"
  • Court administration: No public statement found
  • Judicial philosophy: Campaign site: "Every case is unique, and she makes decisions based on careful consideration of the facts and the law."
  • Court administration: Campaign site: says she "ensures that serious cases go to trial when they are ready to be tried" and "handled 19 criminal jury trials" in 2024
Endorsements
  • Houston Police Officers' Union
  • "C" Club of Houston
  • Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
  • Houston Black American Democrats
  • Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
  • Houston Association of Women Attorneys
  • Bay Area Democratic Movement
Show all 9
  • Greater Heights Democratic Club (primary)
  • Houston Lawyers Association (listed by campaign)
  • Mexican American Bar Association of Houston (listed by campaign)
  • Run Sister Run (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
overhulsforjudge.com
judgeunger.com
David W. Overhuls

David W. Overhuls

Republican
On ballot as
DAVID W. OVERHULS
Current role
Attorney in private practice (per campaign)
Background
  • Undergraduate degree, Baylor University (per campaign)
  • Law degree with honors, Georgetown University Law Center (per campaign)
  • Lifelong Harris County resident; raised in the Humble area (per campaign)
Experience
  • Own law practice (per campaign)
  • Harris County prosecutor (start of career); cases "from DWI to murder"; large drug-trafficking investigations and prosecutions (per campaign)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): advanced
Top priorities
  • Wants "to bring integrity, experience, and fairness to the courtroom"
  • "justice should be administered with both strength and compassion"
  • "every person deserves to be treated with respect"
Tidbits
  • Judicial philosophy: Campaign site: believes "justice should be administered with both strength and compassion"
  • Court administration: No public statement found
Endorsements
  • Houston Police Officers' Union
  • "C" Club of Houston
Campaign website
overhulsforjudge.com
Hilary Unger

Hilary Unger

Democratic Incumbent
On ballot as
HILARY UNGER
Current role
Judge, 248th District Court, Harris County (since Jan. 1, 2019)
Background
  • Law degree, University of Florida (per campaign)
  • Grew up in Miami Beach, Florida (per campaign)
  • Moved to Houston in 2007 (per campaign)
Experience
  • Second term
  • Presides over the Young Women's Docket (per campaign)
  • Volunteer, STAR Drug Court (per campaign)
  • Former chair, Fair Defense Act Management System (FDAMS) Committee (per campaign)
  • Prosecutor and public defender, New York (per campaign)
Top priorities
  • "Supporting alternatives to incarceration where appropriate"
  • "Treating everyone" in the courtroom "with patience, dignity, and respect"
  • "Protecting the rights of crime victims while ensuring due process"
Tidbits
  • Judicial philosophy: Campaign site: "Every case is unique, and she makes decisions based on careful consideration of the facts and the law."
  • Court administration: Campaign site: says she "ensures that serious cases go to trial when they are ready to be tried" and "handled 19 criminal jury trials" in 2024
Endorsements
  • Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
  • Houston Black American Democrats
  • Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
  • Houston Association of Women Attorneys
  • Bay Area Democratic Movement
Show all 9
  • Greater Heights Democratic Club (primary)
  • Houston Lawyers Association (listed by campaign)
  • Mexican American Bar Association of Houston (listed by campaign)
  • Run Sister Run (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
judgeunger.com

Open in the full comparison: Harris County

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