Clarence Walker
2026-02-05 14:35:00
Texas politics at its finest. Or at its worst. This legal gunfight featured two opponents vying for an opportunity to wear the crown as a judge in Houston, the fourth largest city in the nation. A judge position is highly coveted as one of the most powerful positions in the legal arena.
However, a tidal wave of controversy struck the Harris County court system in Houston, Texas.
Judge Loses Bid in 2026 Primary
As each candidate battled it out, one Houston lawyer who is also a former judge and former prosecutor was disqualified from the ballot for the 2026 primary election season following allegations of trying to strong-arm the current judge into stepping aside from the race.
A position on the bench here not only shapes legal outcomes but also carries significant influence in the local and state justice systems. With one contender out, the spotlight now turns to the remaining candidate as the spring election approaches.
This high-octane court battle is likened to an old-fashioned, ‘mafia-style’ shakedown, as the hand-play verges on the threshold of a blackmail and bribery reminiscent of an exciting Law & Order TV episode.
Real-life drama – this is it.
Up close and personal, the seething accusations are rife to the bone with intimidation as the players fired off ‘hot’ rounds of accusations like a six-shooter. The action reached into the social media sphere where hostile messages threatened to spill a past romance affair that the sitting judge once engaged in.
The judge is married with children.
Drama 360 – like this – doesn’t get much more intense.
The Texas heat between the legal combatants grew so hot in the coldest month of January – that the former judge demanded the current judge quit the race by high noon.
Eventually, Harris County Senior Civil Court Judge Christi Kennedy issued a final ruling indicating that the current criminal defense attorney identified as Kimberly McTorry cannot run for the seat currently held by Judge Lauren Reeder of the 234th Civil District Court.
“McTorry attempted to extort my client,” argued prominent civil attorney Lloyd Kelley.
“This conduct renders McTorry administratively ineligible to be certified as a candidate for judicial office,” Kennedy wrote in a late-evening order following two days of contentious hearings.
“The fix is in,” said Jolanda Jones, a Houston-based criminal defense attorney and Texas State Representative. Jones expressed her belief on Instagram that Black attorneys were being wrongfully eliminated from running for judgeships in Harris County.
Misunderstanding, Wrong Perception?
On the flip side, a trial witness took the stand and testified that former Judge Kimberly McTorry may have been mistaken in her belief that Judge Lauren Reeder had indirectly offered her a financial bribe when the witness discussed with McTorry at a luncheon how law firms do not donate campaign funds to a rival opponent (McTorry was Reeder’s opponent).
And the witness said it was the norm that if McTorry ran for a different seat then the law firms supporting Reeder would donate money to McTorry. Further, McTorry thought someone working for Reeder had been trying to get McTorry’s personnel file from the District Attorney’s Office to use dirt against her during the primary race.
What a web we weave when suspicion spins, entangling everyone involved as the real truth gets lost along the way.
During court testimony, Reeder, who is running for a third term, claimed McTorry threatened to publicly expose a long-ago extramarital affair if Reeder did not withdraw from the race. Court records showed that Reeder stated McTorry intended to “extort” her by threatening to divulge personal information destined to reach her husband, children, and extended relatives.
After the sitting judge refused to withdraw, she further claimed McTorry joined forces with a Democratic operative in Houston and began increasing the threats through derogatory social media posts.
McTorry denied the allegations, and, in a reversal of allegations, she stated that Reeder attempted to coerce her during a conversation witnessed by attorneys Chauntelle Wood White and Michael Harrison, both of whom testified during the hearing.
McTorry also denied any involvement in the social media messages directed at the judge.
The hearings featured testimony from both candidates, a forensic writing expert, and multiple attorneys. Judge Takasha Francis of the 152nd Judicial District Court was initially assigned to the case. But she voluntarily recused herself, and Kennedy was appointed to preside.
Invalid Petition Signatures Trigger More Problems
More problems emerged for McTorry. On or about December 2025, Attorney McTorry filed an application with the Harris County Democratic Party seeking a spot on the 2026 Democratic Primary ballot in Houston (Harris County), Texas.
As is customary, a district judge candidate must file a court petition and must have at least 250 verifiable signatures of qualified voters attached to the petition under Texas Election Code 172.021(e). Not doing so amounts to filing an invalid document.
A comprehensive review of McTorry’s 52-page petition reveals invalid signatures according to court records. For example:
- Attorneys and their investigators discovered signatures without Voter Unique Identification (VUID), nor did the names bear addresses to match current voter registration records.
- Signatures from suspended voters
- Signatures from persons whose names and/or addresses did not correspond to any registered voters
- Missing required information such as apartment numbers, dates of birth, etc.
- Signatures that did not match known genuine signatures of the purported signers.
Expert Todd Welch testified in open court how several signatures on the pages circulated by McTorry failed to match any known signatures as set forth in deed records and other public documents. Welch’s final analysis indicated McTorry’s candidate signatures appear forged.
On January 11, 2026, Judge Reeder’s attorneys challenged the signatures by submitting a formal written challenge to Harris County Democratic Chairman Mike Doyle. Doyle rejected the signatures challenge.
Kimberly McTorry Legal Background
Described as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and member of Top Ladies of Distinction, McTorry had been an associate criminal judge in Harris County from 2023 to 2025. For approximately four years, from 2014 to 2018, McTorry served as a prosecutor at Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston.
Among McTorry’s key assignments was to coordinate with local and federal agents on human trafficking and organized crime felony cases, according to her social media account.
Both McTorry and Reeder had previously worked as prosecutors at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
From the beginning, acting as the attorney she is, McTorry filed counterclaim petitions to remove Reeder from the ballot.
McTorry alleged Judge Lauren Reeder violated the state election code by “effectuating” a $50,000 donation to McTorry, a donation that came from a law firm in exchange for McTorry dropping out of the race against Reeder. McTorry also said in her petition the money in question was for her to seek a different judgeship, according to court documents.
Judge Kennedy denied McTorry’s petition, saying the allegations in the petition contained “materially false allegations about an attempt to bribe or coerce McTorry to seek a different office or withdraw altogether.”
Before the hearing, McTorry requested a jury trial and that the judge dismiss the action for “lack of subject-matter jurisdiction,” explaining that Reeder mentioned in the lawsuit “criminal” or “crime” about 20 times. Judge Kennedy pushed against the new requests at the end of the proceedings.
“You have done nothing but kind of stall and bumble around and delay,” she said to McTorry’s attorney, Zamora. McTorry can challenge the order at a trial set for March 2. But the primary election she needed to run for judge is held on March 3rd.
Reeder’s attorney, Lloyd Kelley, told Bloomberg Law that Texas judges are required to set trial dates when they issue injunctions. “It may or may not happen,” he said. “This is a historic case,” Kelley said. “It is drawing the line that you cannot campaign for a position on the ballot as a judge if you engage in what is basically extortion.”
Court’s Ruling Blocks Attorney McTorry’s Chance to Run as Democratic Candidate for Judge Reeder’s Seat
Judge Kennedy ruled against McTorry, saying that “the timing of the social media post was unlikely to be a coincidence.” In essence, the ruling blocks McTorry from appearing on the ballot to take a shot at kicking Reeder off her pristine throne; thus, the judge’s action leaves Reeder as the only candidate to run again for the seat unless a new candidate tosses their hat into the bullring.
Judge Kennedy further ruled that McTorry violated Texas election law by trying to intimidate Judge Reeder into exiting the race. The judge also concluded that McTorry forged signatures. And that McTorry obtained additional signatures from suspended voters to obtain the 250 candidate signatures needed to qualify as a candidate, Kennedy ruled in her order.
Kennedy rejected McTorry’s request for a mistrial, a request raised by her attorney, Trinidad Zamora III. Zamora argued the two-day hearing violated his client’s due process rights and that the court did not have jurisdiction over a civil matter that should in fact be a criminal case.
Reeder declined to comment. McTorry and Zamora did not respond to requests for comment, according to local news media outlets.
Deadline
According to Houston Chronicle reporter Nicole Hensley, Judge Reeder received a cell phone text from McTorry on Thursday, January 8. In the text McTorry demanded Reeder to withdraw from the March 3rd race by high noon the next day so Reeder could finish her term “strong and blemish free.”
McTorry wrote the following message to Reeder: the content has been condensed to conserve space.
“As a former judge, I recognize the importance of integrity. I would never allow outside influences to compromise my integrity and character in this race. The beautiful thing about democracy is that it presents an opportunity for everyone to have a part in positively impacting our community. I hope my participation in this process is not taken as a personal slight or critique to your work on the bench.
Continuing the written message, McTorry said Judge Reeder had an opportunity to support democracy by:
- Finishing your term strong and blemish free
- Removing your name from the ballot
- And putting your full support and supporters behind me as we embrace the new direction and future of the Democratic Party
- I look forward to hearing that you have forwarded a letter to Mike Doyle stating you are removing your name from the March 3, 2026 ballot by tomorrow at noon.
Approximately one hour after McTorry sent the judge the deadline, Democratic activist Kandice Webber pounced on McTorry’s message by posting a video on Facebook, a video threatening to expose Reeder’s outside romantic affair to her husband and children.
According to testimony during the temporary restraining order hearing on January 15th, police reports were filed by Reeder and members of her staff after the videos appeared online. Webber’s social media post had enough vile, profanity and utter aggressiveness to scare the wits out of a lion.
Reeder claims McTorry and Webber acted in collusion, though McTorry denied conspiring with anyone in her testimony.
McTorry also testified that she felt like white judges in Houston are more likely to challenge their black opposition, as they had tried to do with her. She did not bring forth credible evidence that verified her belief yet McTorry cited Webber’s social media post as proof white judges conspire to undermine Black candidates in different ways.
A forensic investigator testified that Kandice Webber wrote her own threatening Facebook post not long after McTorry’s extortionate deadline was sent to the judge. Webber is a nurse at a local health care facility.
Judge Testifies About Romance That Her Political Rival Threatened to Expose
The hearing on competing requests for injunctions and temporary restraining orders continued late into the night in the district court’s ceremonial courtroom. The proceedings drew attention from several local officials, including State Rep. Jolanda Jones of Houston, Houston Public Media reported.
Judge Lauren Reeder testified on January 15th that she had a two-month affair in 2013 with Todd Mensing, a partner at AZA Law, while she was an associate at the firm. Under questioning by attorney Zamora, Reeder said Mensing later appeared once in her courtroom—either in 2023 or 2024—but she did not disclose their prior relationship when he appeared in her courtroom.
“I did not recuse in that case,” Reeder said. “I did not believe I needed to.”
According to a Bloomberg Law reporter, Joe Ahmad, AZA Law’s founding partner, said by phone that the firm was aware of the hearing. “We’ve been in all courts in Harris County, in front of all judges in the Southern District,” Ahmad said. “Judge Reeder treats us like essentially all the judges do. I don’t think we get favorable treatment from her or any other judges.”
Mensing, the former boyfriend of the judge, said Ahmad spoke on behalf of him and the firm. He declined to further comment.
AZA law firm has donated to Reeder’s campaigns and other candidates over the years, Ahmad said. “She’s a good judge, and we have an interest in keeping highly competent judges in Harris County,” he stated.
News media stories reported that Reeder filed an “emergency election challenge” in Harris County District Court on Jan. 12, asking the court to prevent McTorry from running in the March 3 Democratic primary contest.
Reeder won a temporary restraining order the following day, halting the printing or mailing of ballots featuring McTorry.
The deadline for mailing ballots to voters overseas was January 17, 2026.
McTorry’s Counterclaim Called Materially False
Kimberly McTorry was one ‘helluva’ desperate woman. Her chance to grab power and possibly wear the reigning crown jewel of judgeship by turning the tables on Judge Reeder when she alleged in a petition filed in court that Reeder violated Texas Election Code under 141.101 – the same violation Reeder’s attorneys accused McTorry of. McTorry said the judge engaged in a conspiracy to bribe her from running for the Big Size Texas Prize.
McTorry’s associate, identified as attorney Chauntelle Wood White, shot down McTorry’s scheme to accuse the judge of bribery. White blew McTorry’s claims to smithereens when she testified under oath in court that no bribe was offered, no threat made, and that the meeting where McTorry claimed the acts happened never took place at all – as described by McTorry.
Yet throughout the fiasco, what many may not know is the undeniable fact that McTorry initially flew off the handle, thinking an operative was attempting to expose her previous romantic affair.
In her testimony, attorney Chauntelle Wood White, a friend of McTorry who also previously worked alongside McTorry and Reeder at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and, subsequently, White acted as a mediator between the two women, stated in court that the messages from McTorry that were sent to Reeder happened after McTorry received an email from someone she believed was connected to Reeder’s campaign that had requested her personnel file when she was a prosecutor, the Houston Chronicle reported.
McTorry expressed concern that Reeder may reveal details of her romance business with another District Attorney’s employee during the 2026 campaign, information that could be listed in McTorry’s personnel file.
Infuriated, McTorry asked White to give Reeder the following message: “You can tell her if she comes for my family—I’m coming for hers.” According to White, she gave Reeder the stern message.
What added fuel to the fire was when attorney White said she confronted McTorry about the ‘judge’s alleged $50,000 bribe’ offered to McTorry to seek a judgeship elsewhere and not run for the seat where Judge Reeder already sat on the throne. White said McTorry insisted she testify anyway to the brazen lies.
How bold and senseless for McTorry to think Ms. White would carelessly jeopardize her law license and possibly face criminal charges for committing perjury.
Chauntelle Wood White Testimony
Reeder’s attorney lit a blaze under White’s feet about McTorry’s claims against the judge. Attorney James Pierce asked White if Reeder ever told her to bribe McTorry or threaten her; White hastily replied, “It did not, no.” McTorry also alleged Judge Beau Miller was present at a lunch meeting on December 4, 2025 – when Reeder tried to bribe her. In response to McTorry’s claim about the meeting in December, Ms. White told the court, “No he (Beau Miller) was never there.”
White claimed McTorry apparently misunderstood certain things she said during a lunch date with Reeder and Harrison on December 4 that members of the Arnold & Itkin legal firm would most likely financially support Reeder’s campaign. White told McTorry that if she ran for a different court, she might still receive funds from the law firm because law firms were unlikely to support candidates running for the same seat.
To make matters worse, McTorry admitted under oath in open court she had no personal knowledge of the bribe or threat and that her entire claim of the incident happening was based on information mentioned by Attorney Chauntelle Wood White (although McTorry incredibly said that hearsay was personal knowledge). White testified that none of what McTorry claimed about Judge Reeder attempting to bribe McTorry had, in fact happened.
Reeder’s attorney, Lloyd Kelley, told Bloomberg Law reporter that the judge’s decision, “Is drawing the line that you cannot campaign for a position on the ballot as a judge if you engage in what is basically extortion.”
Kathryn McNiel, a campaign consultant for the Reeder campaign, said “We are ready to win the Democratic primary based on Judge Reeder’s record of fairness, understanding of the law, and integrity.”
Defeated by the drawn-out process, McTorry issued a statement to Houston Public Media on Friday, January 16 , saying while she “strongly” disagreed with the ruling, she did not intend to challenge the order.
“I spoke my truth under oath, and I stand by my testimony,” McTorry said. “The message at issue was never intended as a threat. It was a warning shared in good faith. The timing of a social media post by someone who is a complete stranger to me was purely coincidental, yet it was conveniently used to portray me as a bully, disqualify my voice, and exclude me from the democratic process.”
Clarence Walker Jr. is a senior legal reporter, general assignment reporter, a crime journalist and editor of HoustonNewsToday.com. He can be reached at [email protected]