JULIE RENKEN WILL NOT SEEK ANOTHER TERM AS WASHINGTON CO. DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Washington County District Attorney Julie Renken is not running for another term next year.
pictured here speaking at an observance for fallen
peace officers on May 20, 2022, has announced she
will not seek re-election and will retire after the end
of her current term on January 1, 2025.
Renken announced in a press release today (Wednesday) that she will retire from public service at the end of her current term in office on January 1, 2025. She will complete her third term before retiring.
Renken said this decision was not made lightly and that it is difficult to walk away, but she believes “it is time for someone else to lead the District Attorney’s office.” She said she is very grateful for the community’s many years of support and that it has been “a blessing to serve many crime victims to help them receive justice.”
Renken served as an Assistant District Attorney from 1996 to 2000 before being elected as the Washington County Attorney. She held that position from 2001 until 2012, when she was elected as the 21st Judicial Attorney, where she was re-elected in 2016 and 2020.
From 2013-2019, Renken was the District Attorney for both Washington and Burleson counties until the legislature split the district, leaving Washington County as the sole county in her district by the end of 2019. At the time of retirement, she will have completed 29 years as a criminal prosecutor in Washington County.
Julie and her husband, Tyler, a 22-year veteran for the Houston Fire Department, moved permanently to Washington County in 1996. Their two daughters, Moriah and Gabby, both graduated from Brenham High School; Moriah is attending Texas A&M University, and Gabby will start this fall at Texas Tech University.
Full statement from Washington County District Attorney Julie Renken:
“I have not made this decision lightly but after much prayer and discussion with my family, I believe it is time for someone else to lead the District Attorney’s office. I am very grateful for a community that has supported me for so long and allowed me the opportunity to serve in this vital position. Thank you! Law and Order is vital for our community to continue to move in a positive direction in which the District Attorney’s Office plays an important role. I pray that the next District Attorney will continue in the positive direction that we are heading and understands the importance of their role. This was never just a job for me. It was a calling and a passion and it is difficult to walk away, but it is time. I am thankful for all the men and women in law enforcement that I have had the honor with which to serve. It has been a blessing to serve many crime victims to help them receive justice and to watch the criminal justice system change the lives of some of the offenders. I want to thank my family for all their undying support through the years, all the employees that have played such a large role in helping my vision become a reality and all the other elected officials with whom I have served who all work hard to make Washington County such an incredible place to live.”