Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney

Phil Sorrells has been Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney since January 2023¹. Before that he served 25 years as judge of Tarrant County Criminal Court No. 10 and earlier worked as a Tarrant County prosecutor²³.

Where they stand

• Death penalty: Keep it for the worst murders under current rules Official action · medium confidence
  • His office has taken six death penalty cases to trial since he became DA, with juries returning death sentences in five. (2026-05) source
  • Said his office weighs the facts of each case, the defendant's history, likelihood of future crimes and the victim's family's input when deciding whether to seek death, and that he does not know the defendant's race when deciding. (2026-05-07) source
  • In a 2022 campaign interview, said he would take the victim's family's views into account and weigh the nature of the crime, the defendant's history and future dangerousness, calling the decision a solemn one. (2022-10-27) source
• Policing and crime: Tougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bail Said · medium confidence
  • His 2026 campaign website says he supports law enforcement and that officers will know he has their backs. (2026) source
  • His 2022 campaign issues page says he will support the police, that officers will know he has their backs, and that Tarrant County does not defund the police. (2022) source
  • His 2022 campaign issues page says violent criminals awaiting trial are committing more crimes and that bail reform will begin in Tarrant County under him. (2022) source
  • Said people out on bond who see no consequences keep committing crime. (2022-10) source
• Immigration: Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steady Said · medium confidence
  • His campaign says he will aggressively prosecute criminal conduct by people in the country illegally and make every effort to detain them until they are deported. (2026) source
• Abortion: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Said · medium confidence
  • Asked about prosecuting doctors under the state abortion ban, said he is not a legislator and that whatever the Legislature makes illegal, his job is to follow that law. (2022-10) source
• Election rules: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Official action · medium confidence
  • Co-created the county Election Integrity Task Force in 2023, which has investigated 193 election complaints, with one case under indictment and another headed to a grand jury. (2026-08) source
  • Said the task force's success is measured not by prosecutions but by whether every credible complaint is fully investigated. (2026-08) source
• Marijuana: Position does not fit our answer choices; see evidence. Said · medium confidence
  • In a 2022 campaign interview, said it is not time to be soft on drugs and that possession of marijuana is illegal in Texas under current law. (2022-10-27) source

No public position found on: Guns, Mandatory minimums, Qualified immunity.

Record

• Defeated Matt Krause in the May 2022 Republican primary runoff and Tiffany Burks in the November 2022 general election (53.2% to 46.8%); took office January 1, 2023¹.
• Served 25 years as judge of Tarrant County Criminal Court No. 10 before becoming DA².
• Unopposed in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary; faces Democrat Tiffany Burks on November 3, 2026¹².
• Created a DA court team dedicated to narcotics cases, including fentanyl⁷.
• A May 2026 report by Texas Defender Service, a nonprofit legal group that works to end mass incarceration, said Tarrant County disproportionately seeks the death penalty against minority defendants; Sorrells responded that he does not know a defendant's race when deciding and that each case is evaluated on its own facts⁴.