Toni Wallace

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Toni Wallace
Image of Toni Wallace
Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4
Tenure

2019 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

6

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Texas at Austin, 1999

Law

South Texas College of Law, 2003

Contact

Toni Wallace (Democratic Party) is a judge for Number 4 of the Fort Bend County Court at Law in Texas. She assumed office on January 1, 2019. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Wallace (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Number 4 judge of the Fort Bend County Court at Law in Texas. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Wallace completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Toni Wallace earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. She earned a law degree from the South Texas College of Law in 2003.[1]

Elections

2022

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

General election

General election for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4

Incumbent Toni Wallace defeated Courtney Rosen Kovach in the general election for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Toni Wallace
Toni Wallace (D) Candidate Connection
 
50.2
 
121,516
Courtney Rosen Kovach (R)
 
49.8
 
120,523

Total votes: 242,039
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4

Incumbent Toni Wallace advanced from the Democratic primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Toni Wallace
Toni Wallace Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
32,665

Total votes: 32,665
Candidate Connection = 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4

Courtney Rosen Kovach advanced from the Republican primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4 on March 1, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Courtney Rosen Kovach
 
100.0
 
32,592

Total votes: 32,592
Candidate Connection = 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.

2018

General election

General election for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4

Toni Wallace defeated Amy Mitchell in the general election for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Toni Wallace
Toni Wallace (D)
 
53.3
 
133,202
Image of Amy Mitchell
Amy Mitchell (R)
 
46.7
 
116,581

Total votes: 249,783
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4

Toni Wallace advanced from the Democratic primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Toni Wallace
Toni Wallace
 
100.0
 
25,696

Total votes: 25,696
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4

Amy Mitchell advanced from the Republican primary for Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 4 on March 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Amy Mitchell
Amy Mitchell
 
100.0
 
27,092

Total votes: 27,092
Candidate Connection = 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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Selection method

See also: Partisan election of judges

Judges of the county 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.[2]

Qualifications
To serve on a county court, a judge must:[2]

  • 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.

Campaign themes

2022

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia
Released October 5, 2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Toni Wallace completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wallace's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

The Honorable Toni M. Wallace is the Presiding Judge of County Court at Law Number Four in Fort Bend County, Texas. She recently served a 2-year term as the Administrative Judge for all the County Courts in Fort Bend County. Her court is the home of CORE, the Girl's Court for Juveniles in Fort Bend County, which serves juvenile girls who have been identified as being at-risk for or victims of human trafficking.

Judge Wallace believes that her court belongs to the people and she enjoys the privilege of serving Fort Bend County. Judge Wallace is currently seeking re-election for her second 4-year term.

Judge Wallace began her legal career as a defense attorney, practicing in civil courts all over the state. She served as a prosecutor in the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office for 5 years. Judge Wallace made history in 2016 when she became the first African American Female Judge ever *appointed* to a county court in Fort Bend County. She was the inaugural judge for County Court at Law Number Five. In 2018, she made history again when she was among the first African Americans ever *elected* to a court in Fort Bend County. Judge Wallace recognizes the significance of her accomplishments and strives every day to serve with honor, integrity, wisdom, and fairness, all while following the letter of the law.
  • I understand the impact judges have in my community. My role as a judge goes beyond the bench because I have the trust and respect of the members of my community. Judicial integrity is the foundation upon which I have built my reputation. Every day in my court I make decisions based on fairness and a consistent interpretation of the law. As a sitting judge, I believe every case is an opportunity to learn and I am intentional in my effort to listen to every person that comes before me. My capacity for growth as a judge motivates me to work hard every day. I strive to fulfill my purpose in this role until my assignment is complete. In my courtroom I protect what matters most - our rights, our children, our property and our freedom.
  • My courtroom is the home for the Girls Court in Fort Bend County. Our C.O.R.E. program identifies juvenile girls on probation who are identified as being at risk of or confirmed victims of human trafficking. The program has been in existence since 2016 and continues to positively impact the lives of these girls through a customized approach that includes intensive counseling and wraparound services.
  • I have hosted hundreds of students in my courtroom (in person and virtually) to introduce them to the court system. I have shown them all the roles that work together to operate a court, from the judge to the lawyers to the clerks. I have introduced them to the courtroom in an effort to educate them about the formality of court but also decrease the intimidation of being in a courtroom.
When the Corona virus pandemic forced our county to shut down, as the administrative judge for the county courts I worked with various department heads all over the county to provide virtual access to the courtrooms. In 2021 my court conducted at least 414 hours of court proceedings virtually. This access to the courtroom has evolved to provide an affordable solution for both civil cases and probate cases. My court requires a Docket Control Order for civil cases, which establishes clear deadlines and provides a timeline for the parties. I promote justice through active listening. Every party that enters my courtroom has the opportunity to present their case. I will take into consideration the facts and rule in accordance with the law.

My court has jurisdiction over adult misdemeanor and juvenile criminal cases. This means I have an opportunity to minimize the school to prison pipeline and decrease the impact of criminal cases on an adult defendant's criminal history. I work closely with the juvenile probation officers, pretrial bond supervision officers, and supervisors in the CSCD to ensure the accused have access to the available resources that give them opportunities to get out of the justice system. As a sitting judge I encourage defendants to prioritize their criminal cases so they can take advantage of the services that

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 9, 2022
  2. 2.0 2.1 Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed January 14, 2016