On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, the Texas Observer reported that Amber Givens, a former Dallas County District Judge, defeated incumbent Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot in the Democratic primary. With no Republican candidate in the general election, Givens is poised to become the next district attorney for one of Texas’ largest counties.

The election marks a significant upset, as Creuzot, a retired judge, was seeking his third term after initially winning the position in 2018 as part of a wave of reform-minded prosecutors. Givens, who served as a judge for the 282nd District Court from 2015 until her resignation last year to run for DA, secured a 54-46 victory over Creuzot.

Creuzot conceded to Givens on Wednesday, expressing pride in his team’s work and the conversations they advanced regarding justice, accountability, and public safety in Dallas County.

Givens’ victory has been described as an “absolute upset” by Amanda Branan, a defense attorney who has filed complaints against Givens. Branan suggested that Givens was more interested in herself than in serving justice and criticized her behavior on the bench.

Despite securing major endorsements from the Dallas County Commissioners Court, the Dallas City Council, The Dallas Morning News, and multiple local Democratic groups, Givens has previously worked as a defense attorney, assistant district attorney, and county judge. She was part of a historic wave of women of color who ran for and won judicial seats in Dallas in 2014.

Givens has stated her intention to make the DA’s office more transparent and less political.

In June of last year, Givens was publicly reprimanded by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct for allegedly having a staffer impersonate her during a bond hearing in 2021 and for mistreating lawyers in her courtroom. The commission stated that Givens’ failures constituted willful and/or persistent conduct that discredited the judiciary. She was also publicly admonished for acting in cases where she had recused herself, leading to arrests and jailings. Givens is appealing the sanctions.

During her time on the bench, Givens faced an unprecedented number of recusal requests from prosecutors and defense attorneys who accused her of lacking impartiality, making unfair rulings, treating lawyers with disrespect, and having a retaliatory nature. Givens has dismissed these sanctions and allegations as politically motivated.

There has been anxiety within the DA’s office since Givens announced her plans to run, with many suspecting she will make significant changes upon taking office. Givens was consistently deemed a “low-performing” judge, leading the Dallas County Commissioners to initially deny her bonus pay last year until she sued the county, and the commissioners reversed their decision.

 

 

Source: Texas Observer