Kathleen McDaniel will be sworn in Oct. 14 as the first judge of the newly created 498th District Court and assume her seat on the bench the following day.
Gov. Greg Abbott Monday announced the appointment of the veteran prosecutor, currently assistant district attorney in the Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, to the court laid out in 2023 by the Texas Legislature.
“I am deeply honored by the trust Governor Abbott has placed in me to serve the citizens of Kendall County in this new role,” McDaniel said. “I am dedicated to upholding the rule of law and will serve our community with fairness and integrity.”
McDaniel will join 451st District Judge Kirsten Cohoon in handling cases coming before the courts. A Kendall County District Court Special Committee was formed in 2024 and determined how to appoint cases between the two.
“The statute that created the 498th, is the same that created the 451st,” she said. “The 451st has worked tirelessly on the efficiency measures that are in place. It’s based mostly on our population growth, and there’s just not enough hours in a day for the caseload.”
The 1997 graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law has served in the Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office since 2017 as the first assistant criminal district attorney, managing all daily operations.
Previously, she spent nearly two decades as an assistant district attorney in Harris County, where she became a leader in prosecuting serious felony offenses, including homicides and complex cartel and gang operations.
McDaniel said she was notified several days before Gov. Abbott’s announcement of the selection. “You never know when the call is going to come, you just have to wait patiently,” she added.
She applied for the position in April, submitting an extensive application. She knew what to expect, however, having gone through the same application process in 20019 when she was selected by the governor for the Texas Violent Gang Task Force.
Her professional accolades include being named Prosecutor of the Year by the Texas Narcotics Officers’ Association, as well as receiving commendations from Justice for Children and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
She acknowledged the Kendall County Courthouse layout may initially pose problems, but it’s nothing she and Cohoon — appointed in April as presiding judge over the Sixth Administrative Judicial Region — can’t work through.
“ The courthouse as designed was not created for two district courts,” she said. “We’re going to juggle. When there’s a jury trial, we’re going to share courtrooms. It’s a little unconventional, but we’ll make it work.”
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