Jason Cox, the Democratic incumbent judge of Harris County Probate Court No. 3, is seeking a third term in the Nov. 3 general election against Republican Ronald Schramm.
Cox was first elected in 2018.
He said he is running because probate courts serve people at some of their most difficult moments. Those cases demand "patience, sound judgment, fairness, and respect for the dignity and autonomy of every person who comes before the court," Cox said in his response to a Surround Sound News questionnaire.
He said he is proud of what has been accomplished since he took office in 2019. He believes there is more work to do.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Harris County Probate Court-at-Law Judge, Court No. 3
- Party: Democratic
- Education: Bachelor's degree, Texas A&M University (2002); J.D., University of Houston Law Center
- Family: Third-generation Houstonian
- Endorsements: AFL-CIO; Harris County Democratic Party; LGBTQ+ Victory Fund; Greater Heights Democratic Club; Houston Black American Democrats; Harris County Young Democrats
Experience and public service
Cox has served as presiding judge of Harris County Probate Court No. 3 since January 2019. Before taking the bench, he practiced probate law for about 15 years, handling estates, guardianships, trusts and contested probate matters, he said in his questionnaire response.
He teaches Administration of Estates and Guardianships as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center. He previously taught at the University of St. Thomas.
Cox also serves on the Guardianship Subcommittee of the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities and as president of the Texas Probate Law American Inn of Court, according to his questionnaire response.
On the issues
Mental health: Cox said he helped create and expand Harris County's Assisted Outpatient Treatment program, which brings together courts, treatment providers, hospitals, attorneys and community partners to help people with serious mental illness remain stable in the community. That program later received a $2.7 million federal grant to expand its services, he said. He also founded the Harris County Civil Mental Health Committee to improve coordination among institutions involved in the county's mental health system.
Judicial approach: Cox said the best advice he ever received was: "Never assume you know the whole story until you've heard from everyone involved." He said every person who comes into his courtroom deserves the opportunity to be heard and that good judgment requires patience, careful listening and humility.
Differences from opponent: Cox said the most significant differences between the candidates are their professional backgrounds. He pointed to the roughly 15 years he spent practicing probate law and his experience presiding over thousands of probate, guardianship and civil mental health proceedings since 2019, including what he described as one of the busiest mental health dockets in Texas.
The general election is Nov. 3.
