County Judge
CurrentElected in November 2018 and reelected in November, 2022, Judge Roach serves the citizens of Stephens County. A county judge in Texas is the presiding officer of the governing body of a county government in Texas, the five-member county commissioners court. There are 254 county judges in Texas, one for each of the state’s 254 counties.County judges wield a mix of executive, judicial, and legislative or quasi-legislative powers. Each county judge is a voting member of the commissioner's court in his or her county, which sets the tax rate, policies, and budget of the county. Duties of county judges in Texas include:• serving as the judge of the county court in certain criminal and civil cases• presiding over the commissioner's court and overseeing the agenda• serving as the head of emergency management in the county• serving as the chief budget officer in counties with a population under 225,000• calling elections, posting election notices, and receiving and canvassing election returns• holding hearings for liquor license applications• performing marriages• receiving and approving bonds and sureties for various county concerns.In effect, a county judge is the chief executive of the county, though his power is shared with other county officials and the commissioner's court collectively.