Judge Jennifer Balido is a lifelong Texan who grew up in a middle-class Midland family grounded in public service. The daughter of two schoolteachers, she learned early the value of discipline, fairness, and hard work. After graduating from Midland High School, Balido received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law.

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Judge Balido has built one of the most well-rounded legal careers in Texas. She has served in the Dallas District Attorney’s Office, private practice, and the Public Defender’s Office, gaining extensive trial and appellate experience. As an attorney she has completed over 200 trials and authored nearly 40 appellate briefs. Over the years, she has held multiple high-level positions within the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and has been named to the bench three times by Governors Rick Perry and Greg Abbott. Judge Balido currently presides over Criminal District Court No. 1 in Dallas County, managing a docket of more than 4,000 felony criminal offenses from low-level drug cases to capital murder.

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Outside the courtroom, Judge Balido has taught at the Dallas Police Academy and educated police chiefs across Texas on key criminal statutes. A mother of two, Judge Balido is a devout member of Dallas’ Saint Monica Catholic Church alongside her husband of 34 years, Carlos. A long-standing conservative attorney and judge with extensive credentials, Judge Balido is running for the Court of Criminal Appeals to ensure Texans have a judge with proven courtroom experience that can always ensure justice is fairly served.