--- title: "Sonya L. Heath | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sonya-l-heath" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Sonya L. Heath Texas 310th District Court · District Judge ## Profile - Court: Texas 310th District Court - State: Texas - Role: District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Recent Role: held the role of Administrative Judge of the Harris County Board of Family District Judges (June 2025–May 2026) - Judge Sonya L. Heath is the presiding judge of the 310th Family District Court in Harris County, Texas, having taken the bench on January 1, 2019, and re‐elected in November 2022 for a term ending in 2026. - Private Practice: Founded The Law Office of Sonya Heath in 2010 - focusing on family law; previously attorney at The Craig Washington Law Firm (2008–2010) ### Education - Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law — J.D. (2009) - University of Houston‐Downtown — B.A. ### Additional information - Current Term: Elected 2018, re‐elected 2022; term ends 2026 - Texas Bar Admission: 2009 - Judge Heath’s legal work spans family, child welfare, labor and employment, criminal, and appellate law. - Published in The Adelphia Law Journal on HPV vaccine policy. - Presiding Judge, TX, ?-present - She has held leadership roles in the American Bar Association’s Family Law Committee and Employee Benefits General Committee, and is active in the Mexican American Bar Association, International Academy of Family Lawyers, and other professional organizations. - Judge Heath is a mother of two adult sons, enjoys reading, and participates in her local church community. - Early Career: Civil litigation assistant; judicial intern at the First Court of Appeals - Case Experience: Over 500 family law cases handled before judicial appointment ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote appearances Scope: statewide In civil district and county court proceedings, the court may permit or require electronic participation after appropriate notice; compelled electronic participation for oral-testimony proceedings requires good cause or party agreement, and a jury trial requires party agreement. Evidence excerpt: Upon appropriate notice by a party or the court, a court may allow or require a participant to appear at a court proceeding by videoconference, teleconference, or other available electronic means, except as otherwise provided in (2). [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### civil recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Civil district and county trial courts may permit courtroom recording or broadcasting only under Supreme Court guidelines, with the required party and witness consent, or for ceremonial proceedings. Evidence excerpt: A trial court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing of proceedings in the courtroom only in the following circumstances: [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Official roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15566/sonya-heath/) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15566/sonya-heath/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sonya-l-heath", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sonya-l-heath", "name": "Sonya L. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-a5f587f769df9f3231ef4f9a) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.