Coby Waddill
Republican · TX · Judge, Denton County Criminal Court No. 5
Coby Waddill is the sitting judge of Denton County Criminal Court No. 5 and serves on the county's mental health treatment court team. A former criminal defense attorney, he earned his law degree from St. Mary's University in 1999.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 8 records
Signed a county plan for appointing lawyers to misdemeanor defendants who could not afford counsel. It set lawyer qualifications, a rotating appointment process, payment rules and a way to challenge denied fees.
October 22, 2025
Source: tidc.tamu.edu
Signed, with other county judges, court rules requiring free viewing, in some format, of public court records, including electronically filed documents. The rules kept confidential records restricted and did not require free copies.
February 27, 2025
Source: topics.txcourts.gov
Signed rules appointing part-time jail magistrates to handle bail, legal representation and emergency protection. The rules also authorized mental-health treatment and release for extraordinary medical conditions.
January 16, 2024
Source: topics.txcourts.gov
Voted to approve state juvenile-justice aid for 2024 and 2025 and use part of it to fund an intake probation-officer job left out of the proposed county budget. The Juvenile Board approved the measure unanimously.
August 10, 2023
Source: dentoncounty.gov
Joined county judges in issuing COVID-19 court guidelines that postponed jury trials and most in-person proceedings. Essential matters continued, with remote hearings where possible.
March 25, 2020
Source: dentoncounty.gov
Joined county judges in adopting procedures that gave the magistrate court authority over bail before formal criminal charges were filed. The order required custody, risk-assessment and mental-health records. Authority transferred to the assigned trial court once charges were filed.
January 1, 2020
Source: dentoncounty.gov
Helped coordinate equal $10,000 grant applications for the drug court, family drug court and mental health treatment court. He reported the judges' agreement to the county health team. He abstained when the team approved the awards.
March 23, 2017
Source: unitedwaydenton.org
Advocated that Denton County lead an effort to create crisis-stabilization care for people with mental health needs. He pointed to a Montgomery County center. He also reported that his treatment court received donated psychiatric services.
November 17, 2016
Source: unitedwaydenton.org
Track record — Impartiality
Impartiality · 1 favorable
Stepped aside from Stephanie Flemmons's drunk-driving case because he had advised her about it in private practice. He granted her request to disqualify him, and the case returned to the district court.
December 21, 2017Favorable on Impartiality
Source: law.justia.com
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 2 favorable
Presided over William Blair's manslaughter trial while assigned to the district court and signed the two concurrent ten-year sentences. The appeals court upheld the judgments. It corrected court names that wrongly identified the county criminal court.
January 11, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Presided over Mauricio Gomez's trial for repeat drunk driving, which ended in a nine-year prison sentence. The appeals court upheld the conviction. It found the blood-test and prior-conviction evidence supported the result.
September 29, 2017Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: law.justia.com
Past race Coby Waddill ran in:
- Denton County Judge, County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 · November 3, 2026 · Denton County, Texas · incumbent