Guice leads Emmons for Harris County criminal court 12 seat

Ashley Mayes Guice, the Democratic incumbent, leads in the Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law No. 12 race with 811,478 votes, or 62.0%, according to unofficial results from Harris County Clerk Elections Department. Republican challenger Anna Emmons received 498,167 votes, or 38.0%, out of 1,309,645 votes counted. All 1,224 reporting units have reported. Guice led by 313,311 votes, a margin of 24.0 percentage points.

What was at stake

Harris County's 16 criminal courts-at-law handle misdemeanor cases. Court 12 hears Class A and Class B misdemeanors.

The key issues:

• Guice, in a candidate questionnaire, said she has been involved in changes to misdemeanor bail policies and described herself as a public servant in Harris County since 2013. She said she has worked as a prosecutor, defense attorney, staff attorney and judge.
• The Houston Chronicle editorial board described Emmons as a 25-year lawyer who has spent most of her career as a prosecutor and is first assistant district attorney in Liberty County.
• Guice's fellow judges elected her presiding judge over all 16 county criminal courts, according to the Chronicle's endorsement.

A little history

Guice, 43, was first appointed to preside as judge of Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law No. 3 from February 2022 to December 2022, filling out another judge's term, according to her candidate questionnaire. She lost a 2024 bid for another court, the Chronicle reported. Harris County Commissioners Court appointed her to Court 12 in 2025.

Before her time on the bench, Guice worked as a private criminal defense attorney, a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney's Office for more than six years and an assistant public defender, according to her questionnaire. She holds a Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University's Law Center.

Emmons has been a lawyer for 25 years, mostly as a prosecutor with two years in private practice, according to the Chronicle.

What's nextThe results remain unofficial until Harris County completes its canvass. The Texas secretary of state sets the local canvass window for Nov. 6 through Nov. 17. This article does not declare a winner.

Election results: Harris County Criminal Court-at-Law Judge - Court 12 (Texas General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Harris County Clerk Elections Department. Results current as of Nov. 4, 2026, 8:39 a.m. CST. Reporting: 1,224 of 1,224. Unofficial results; every reporting unit has reported.