Judge Johnson was elected to the 178th Criminal District Court in 2016 and to her second term in 2020. Before taking the bench, she spent 17 years as the Assistant District Attorney for Harris County. She worked as the Felony Chief Prosecutor for the DA’s office in the court she now presides. She has handled thousands of cases, from misdemeanors to Capital Murder. One of her recent cases was profi
led on the ABC TV show "20/20." Judge Johnson is a native Texan, born and raised in Sulphur Springs, Texas. She graduated with honors from Texas Christian University and received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Houston's South Texas College of Law. During law school, she clerked for Judge Charlie Baird of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Prior to entering law school, Kelli served two years for the White House Press Advance team in Washington, DC. She has traveled extensively and has been an advocate for many charitable causes, including child abuse and neglect, Race for the Cure, Health Care for the Homeless, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and Water Wells for Ghana. She advocates for expanding programs in mental health concerns and addiction recovery. And helps young women on her docket overcome addictions, volunteering as a judge with the Success Through Addiction Recovery or STAR program. She also proudly sponsors and organizes the Texas High School Mock Trial Competition, where local judges donate time presiding over youth competitions. Judge Johnson is married to Hilary Bartlett Johnson and they have two sons, Evan (13) and William (1). She hopes that as the first openly gay female judge her contributions to the profession and community at large will pave the way for others.
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178th Criminal District Court, 1717 W 34th St, Suite 600-258, Houston, TX 77018
Political advertising paid for by Kelli D. Johnson, Houston, Texas in compliance with the voluntary limits of the Judicial Campaign Finance Act.
