FORT BEND COUNTY — Fort Bend County Democratic precinct chairs on Tuesday selected Judge Rachelle Carter as the party’s nominee for the newly created Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 2 position, setting up a November election against incumbent Judge Kenneth Cannata.
The vacancy election was held Tuesday evening following the creation of the new court earlier this year.
Of the county party’s 17 Precinct 3 precinct chairs in attendance, 15 cast ballots. Fort Bend County Democratic Party Secretary Johnathan Mercantel did not vote because of his role in the committee election, while Precinct 3 Coordinator Ursela Knox presided over the meeting as chair of the Precinct 3 Executive Committee and also did not vote.
Three candidates were nominated: Sugar Land Municipal Associate Judge Rachelle Carter, personal injury attorney Husein Hadi and former Lamar CISD trustee and Richmond councilman Jesse Torres.
Each candidate was given two minutes to address precinct chairs before voting.
Carter opened by introducing herself personally, telling precinct chairs she is the mother of two children, owns four dogs and has lived in Texas for 26 years, including the past 24 years in Fort Bend County’s Greatwood community.
“I am a federally trained criminal defense attorney, but my practice consists of both criminal and civil,” Carter said. “I love what I do.”
Personal injury attorney Husein Hadi, known for his “Texas Torch” advertising campaign that features him wielding a flamethrower, told precinct chairs he was born and raised in Alief and has been a lifelong Democrat. He said he and his wife are raising three sons, ages 7, 9 and 11. Hadi argued he has the campaign resources and broad appeal to give Democrats their best opportunity to compete in Precinct 3, which has historically leaned Republican.
Hadi also said serving as a justice of the peace has been a longtime goal rooted in his own experience with the court system. “I would be honored for the opportunity to serve the community and be a JP judge,” Hadi said. “It’s been my passion since I was a kid getting in trouble in a JP court. I’m a prime example that you can go through the court system and turn out to be accomplished.”
Torres highlighted his public service experience, including his work as a Richmond police dispatcher before becoming a police officer. He noted he is the only elected official among the candidates, having served five terms, or 15 years, on the Lamar CISD Board of Trustees while also serving on the Richmond City Council.
Following the candidate speeches, precinct chairs elected Carter with nine votes. Hadi received four votes, and Torres received two.
A practicing attorney with experience in both criminal and civil law, Carter previously advanced to the Democratic runoff for Fort Bend County judge. She currently serves as an associate municipal court judge in Sugar Land.
If elected, Carter said she wants to create what she called a “people’s court.”
“I want a friendly court, a court that people are not scared to come to,” Carter said. “We’ll have court on Saturdays or on nights, depending on the needs of the people.”
She said she wants court paperwork to be easier to navigate, court staff to answer telephones promptly and the office to connect residents with community resources when the court cannot directly help them.
“I have a pet peeve as a lawyer, calling a court and getting a recording,” Carter said. “I want people to answer the phones. If we can’t help someone, I want us to be able to direct them to where they can get the help they need.”
“JP court is the people’s court,” she said. “I would want to make that court as accessible as possible.”
Carter recounted to the Fort Bend Falcon the path that brought her to Fort Bend County. She said she spent part of her childhood in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, before moving to California. She came to Texas to attend Thurgood Marshall School of Law and bought her home in Greatwood in 2002.
“I love Fort Bend County,” Carter said. “I fell in love with it when I bought my house out here.”
Carter acknowledged the political makeup of Precinct 3 and said her campaign will focus on introducing herself to voters across party lines.
“The game plan is to shore up the volunteers that I had from my last race,” Carter said. “Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or Independent, I’ll be out there and let them know about me. I feel like I would be the best person for this particular job.”
Carter said her desire to serve as justice of the peace is rooted in a career dedicated to helping people navigate the legal system. A federally trained criminal defense attorney whose practice later into state court and civil litigation, Carter said she enjoys practicing law because it allows her to give a voice to people who might otherwise go unheard.
“I feel like I have a servant’s heart,” Carter said. “I’m out there to serve, and I serve by helping people through their cases. I enjoy the service of it.”
Carter passed the New Jersey bar in 2010 and the Texas bar in 2012 and is also a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming, a nationally recognized training program for trial attorneys.
Carter will face Judge Kenneth Cannata in the November general election.
Cannata became the first judge of the newly created Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 2 court after Fort Bend County Commissioners Court unanimously appointed him to the position Jan. 8. He was sworn in Jan. 13 by Judge Ed Krenek.
Cannata previously served as Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3 for 11 years before Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to the 458th District Court in 2017. After leaving that bench in 2019, he joined the Fort Bend County Attorney’s Office, where he most recently served as chief of litigation.
The winner of the November election will serve a four-year term as judge of the newly created Justice of the Peace Precinct 3, Place 2 court.
