Sugar Land native becomes Texas’ youngest judge
30-year-old is also the first Black woman to hold the bench in her district
At 30 years old, Katherine Thomas figured in a few years, she would move on from her position at the District Attorney’s Office and run for judge. She gave up on waiting pretty quickly and became the youngest district judge in Texas and the first Black woman to hold the bench in her district.
Thomas was elected to Harris County’s 184th District, with 50.9 percent of the vote this past November. The Sugar Land native is a lifelong overachiever, according to her parents and coworkers. From a young age Thomas knew she wanted to be a public servant, and her dreams of helping people were a driving force along her journey.
“I just wanted to be able to use my discretion as a person who’s from this community, a person of color, a person who is young, to really be able to affect change in my community,” Thomas said.
When Thomas wanted to pursue law, her mother, Athena, said it was no surprise. She enrolled in a pre-law summer program at Harvard at 15 and would sometimes stay up past 2 a.m. finishing her homework.
“She’s always been really strong-willed,” Athena said.
Thomas majored in political science on a pre-law track at Spelman College in Atlanta and interned for the Obama administration in the Office of Presidential Correspondence.
She then attended Howard Law School, where she participated in a criminal justice clinic, sitting second chair with instructors and representing people in the D.C. district court.
“I was able to see another side to the criminal justice system and I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it in some capacity,” Thomas said.
She then interned with the Harris County DA’s office as part of their pre-commit pro
gram, promising to work there after passing the bar exam.
“I fell in love and I knew that I wanted to be a part of this side of justice right now,” Thomas said. “I wanted to advocate for people who were victims of crime, I wanted to stand up for unjust sentencing and be able to dismiss cases with the stroke of a pen that I thought were improperly filed.”
Paying it forward
In addition to Thomas’ parents, who are her role models, other women have been inspirational for Thomas.
“Women of color in the judiciary, going all the way up to the Supreme Court, have been really instrumental on me being able to see someone who looks like me in these positions and knowing that it is possible,” Thomas said.
Now that she is in the shoes of people she looked up to, everything she does feels impactful, she said. Through mentoring, Thomas has supported those around her in a competitive career that is overwhelmingly white.
Bailee Pender, who reported to Thomas in the DA’s office as a misdemeanor prosecutor, said she was nervous when starting at the office, but her relationship with Thomas helped make her feel more comfortable.
“She was easy to talk to if I ever needed help or advice, she would always be there to make sure that I had everything that I needed in order to succeed,” Pender said “If I ever had a question about anything when it came to the office or a case, she was that person I would run to first.”
Another mentee, Raven Hoff, said she saw Thomas’ office as a safe space. Hoff began as a prosecutor at the DA’s office while Thomas was a deputy chief, presiding over the misdemeanor division Hoff ’s courtroom was in.
“Her path has given me hope in knowing that nothing is impossible if I put my mind to it,” Hoff said. “Regardless of who you are, where you come from, your age, your height, your size, the color of your skin — it really just doesn’t matter if you have a dream and you believe in it.”
No easy feat
Thomas said there have absolutely been days when she has wanted to throw in the towel, such as when someone threatened harm to one of her family members during the campaign. A police report was filed, but no arrests were made. Thomas said she felt defeated and ready to quit.
“Nobody else signed up for this,” Thomas said, adding she felt guilty and isolated by the experience.
“Now I look back on that day and I’m so glad I did not quit,” she said. “Everything will pass. Nothing is really as big of a deal as you might think at the moment.”
Athena said she always taught her children they could do whatever they wanted to do with God’s help and hard work.
Thomas said criticism over her age has only built her confidence because it has shown her that when you work hard, it doesn’t matter what people have to say. Thomas said some were excited about the fact that she was young and they found it inspiring.
“There’s always this question of whether leaders are born or made, and I think she’s a great testimony of a little bit of both,” Athena said.