Women's History Month: Meet Williamson County's first-ever female district judge

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas - Judge Betsy Lambeth paved the way for other Williamson County women interested in serving the public through law.

This Women's History Month, FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel sat down with Judge Lambeth to talk about her path to the courtroom.

Her journey to the bench

The backstory:

After nearly three decades in private practice, Judge Betsy Lambeth decided she could do better than the presiding judge at the time.

"I felt like he was doing a disservice to the families in Williamson County, so I decided to run, and wow what a wild ride it was," said Judge Lambeth. 

In May 2012, Lambeth ran and defeated Mark Silverstone in the Republican primary, and ran unopposed in the general election, becoming the county's first-ever female district court judge.

After two-and-a-half years on the bench, Lambeth was elected by her peers to serve as the Local Administrative District Judge for Williamson County. She has served in this role since 2016 and was recently re-elected in January.

What they're saying:

"When I was a little girl or even when I was in college, I would have never dreamed that I would be a district judge, that I would make history," said Judge Lambeth. 

"It wasn't my goal to be a district judge. Life just presented those circumstances and I grabbed them by the horns and went with it," she added.

What's changed since

What they're saying:

A lot has changed since her first election, including the challenges that came with being the only woman to wear a robe.

"When I first became a district judge, there was no female to go, to ask questions of or bounce things off of," said Judge Lambeth. "It was obviously a very male-dominated bench."

Now she's proud to work with three other female district judges: Judge Donna King, Judge Sarah Bruchmiller and Judge Stacey Mathews. Over half the district judges in Williamson County are now women.

"We stand on the shoulders of those that have gone before us," said Judge Lambeth. "I think women look at it from a different perspective and bring a different kind of compassion and patience."

It's that understanding that brings a little more color to lives that enter her courtroom.

"It's an honor and a blessing to serve the folks of Williamson County and my goal has always been to, I think all of us want to, leave it better than we found it," said Judge Lambeth.

What's next:

Her term is up in 2028. She can run as many times as she likes up until the age of 72.