Nueces County Justice of the Peace – Precinct 1, Place 1
Precinct 1, Nueces County, TX
Current Incumbent
Joe Benavides
Democratic
In office since January 2025
Next Election
Nov 7, 2028
Filing Window
Mar 8, 2028 - Apr 6, 2028
Term Length
4 years
Position Type
Part Time
Number of Seats
1
About this position
Justice of the Peace Court Judges are responsible for handling minor offenses such as traffic offenses and misdemeanor criminal offenses, and Justice of the Peace judges are often allowed to perform marriages.
Eligibility requirements
- Must be a registered voter
- Must be a resident of the district
- Candidate must be at least 18 years old, must be a US citizen, must be a registered voter in the precinct the office is sought, must be a Texas resident for at least 12 consecutive months, and a precinct resident for 6 consecutive months. Candidate must not have been finally convicted of a felony from which they have not been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disabilities. Candidate must not have been determined by a court with probate jurisdiction to be totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
Filing information
Fee & signature requirements
Major party-affiliated candidates should file an application for a place on the ballot to their respective county party chair. This should be accompanied by either a filing fee of $375 or a nominating petition with a number of signatures equal to the 2% of the number of votes cast in the previous general election in this district (or 500, whichever is lower). Candidates in counties with at least 200,000 inhabitants must pay a filing fee of $1,000. For candidates running in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant counties, a 250-signature judicial petition is required in addition to the filing fee, or 750 signatures in lieu of a fee. Minor party candidates should consult with their respective party chair to determine requirements. Independent candidates should file a Declaration of Intent to Run as an Independent Candidate during the primary filing period. In addition, independent candidates will need to collect a number of signatures equal to 5% of the number of votes cast within the district in the most recent gubernatorial election (or 500 signatures whichever is lower) in support of their application for a place on the general election ballot and submit these to the county judge. All forms can be found on the Texas Secretary of State website.
Filing instructions
Submit paperwork to the office of the county party chair; Independent candidates must submit paperwork to the county judge's office.