A Harris County judge made history Friday during her swearing-in ceremony.
At 30 years old, Judge Katherine Thomas is now the youngest district court judge on the bench in the county.
“As of today, I’m officially the youngest elected judge in the State of Texas, District Court judge,” said Thomas. “One of the things that my mentor told me was that age does not include experience and that it doesn’t matter how old you are, you should be confident about experiences that brought you to this point.”
The Houston native was sworn in with her proud and prayerful parents by her side and in front of a packed room of supporters.
At the ceremony, the room was filled with praise, love, and excitement. Her fellow district court judges watched the historic moment from the jury box.
Judge Thomas is also the first woman of color to sit on the bench in the 184th District Court.
Thomas, who beat out Lori Deangelo when she was elected last November to replace incumbent Abigail Anastasio — is now the third woman to preside in the 184th court.
“From trying a number of cases on the district court level, serving at the DA’s office, and just my life experiences going to two HBCUs, like Spelman and Howard, that’s what makes you prepared to be a judge,’ she said.
Judge Thomas said she’ll be fair and impartial on the bench but also hopes to start a program to provide resources to the youth.
She said she’ll also focus on stopping the revolving door of repeat offenders in the criminal justice system.