MEET THE CANDIDATES
EDITOR’S NOTE: As 2026 shapes up as a historic midterm year, The Concho Observer’s will be publishing questionnaires sent to local candidates for our “Meet the Candidate” series.
Name: Jessica Skinner (R)
Running for: Republican Nomination for Tom Green County Clerk
Why are you running/seeking re-election?
I am running because this court deserves a judge who has not only proven mastery of the law, but the discipline to keep learning and the humility to respect the people who come before it. I am the only candidate who is board certified, who built and leads a well-respected law firm, and who has been peer-selected into positions of professional leadership locally and across the state.
The County Court at Law handles cases that affect people’s lives every day — criminal misdemeanors, family matters, mental-health cases, property disputes, and decisions involving children. These cases often involve difficult facts, complex law, and urgent timelines.
This role requires more than good intentions. It requires careful preparation, sound judgment, and the ability to apply the law faithfully in high-pressure situations. I have spent my career doing exactly that. I understand the responsibility of this position, its importance, and how to do the job well.
I am ready to serve this community with fairness, integrity, and excellence.
What are your top priorities?
My top priorities are efficiency, fairness, and access to justice. Efficiency means a court that is organized, prepared, and intentional about how cases move. I believe in clear scheduling, consistent procedures, and using technology in practical ways to reduce errors, delays, and unnecessary cost. It shows a respect for people’s time, money, and peace of mind. I have implemented these principles successfully in my own practice, and they translate directly to managing a busy court docket.
Fairness means careful decision-making and respect for due process in every case. With my
extensive trial experience, I have seen how a careful decision can stabilize lives, and how a
careless one can unravel them. Moving cases forward matters, but never at the expense of
people’s rights or the quality of the court’s decisions.
Access to justice means making the system understandable and usable for everyone who enters
it. As more people come to court without lawyers, it is essential that procedures are clear, forms
are plain-language, and communication is consistent. When people understand the process, cases
resolve more efficiently and public trust increases.
What issues have constituents told you they were concerned about?
What I hear most often is concern about whether the system feels fair, timely, and trustworthy to
the people in it. People want confidence that their case will be decided based on the law and the facts — not personalities or pressure. They worry when outcomes feel unpredictable or when rulings are
unclear.
Delays are another common concern. Prolonged cases create stress and uncertainty for victims,
families, businesses, and defendants. That strain is something I see firsthand through years of
managing a high-volume docket. Finally, many people describe the court process as confusing or overwhelming, especially when they don’t have a lawyer or when mental-health issues are involved. They want to understand what is happening, what is expected of them, and what comes next.
As a board-certified attorney, I understand how critical public trust is to the justice system. These
concerns reflect a shared goal: a court that is fair, efficient, and worthy of the community it
serves.
Jessica Skinner is running for Tom Green County Judge at Law, she will face Jana Johnson and Leland Lacy in the Republican primary.
