Meet Chris Morton
Harris County Judge of the 230th Criminal District Court
Chris grew up in the small town of Randleman, North Carolina. After he graduated high school, he followed the tradition of his father and grandfather by serving in the United States Military and eventually became the first college graduate in his family.
Chris worked as a manager for an international technology and manufacturing firm. When the tech bubble burst, Chris was laid off. But out of adversity came opportunity, and Chris made the decision to change career paths and pursue his true calling—the law. He attended the University of Houston Law Center as an evening student, working during the day and attending his law classes at night. While at UH, Chris served as an executive on the Advocates Board and was a three-year member of the Mock Trial Team, representing UH in several advocacy competitions against other law schools. Chris earned his law degree with the distinction of Order of Barristers – an honor given to only the top 10 oral advocates of a graduating class.
In pursuit of his dreams to practice criminal law, Chris worked at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in the Post-Conviction Writs Division, responding to hundreds of writs of habeas corpus from convicted defendants. There he learned the importance of protecting the judicial record—a priority for any judge. After he was licensed by the State Bar of Texas, Chris was hired as an Assistant District Attorney with Harris County, spending the next four and half years in the Trial Division, prosecuting thousands of cases ranging from the most minor of traffic tickets to the most serious of offenses—capital murder. Chris also volunteered his time in Veteran’s Court working with court staff to develop treatment programs for veterans facing mental health and addiction issues.
Chris left the Harris County DA’s office to open a criminal defense practice. As a defense attorney, Chris zealously protected the Constitutional rights of individuals who had been accused of a crime. Chris also regularly accepted appointments to represent indigent defendants (those who were unable to afford legal representation).
Chris is a member of the ACLU and the Houston Democratic Lawyers Association. Prior to taking the bench, he was a member of the Texas Criminal Lawyers Association and Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, served as a Harris County Democratic Party Precinct Chair for Precinct 448, and served as Treasurer of the Oak Forest Democrats.
Chris is married to Sarah Morton, a Houston labor and employment attorney. They are the proud parents of two boys, Thomas (8) and Henry (6).
