Juli Mathew
American judge (born 1977)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Juli A. Mathew is an American judge of the bench of Fort Bend County, Texas from 2018 to 2021, and has been re-elected since 2023. She is the first judge of Asian descent to be elected to the Bench in Fort Bend County, as well as the first Indian American woman elected to the bench in the United States.
Juli Mathew | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the Fort Bend County | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Dornburg |
| Succeeded by | vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1977 (age 48–49) |
| Party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Jimmy Mathew |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Penn State University Delaware Law School (JD) |
Early and personal life
Juli A. Mathew was born in Vennikulam in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India to Thomas Daniel, a pharmacist and businessman, and Susamma, a nurse.[1] She has a brother, Johnson. In 1986, her parents immigrated to the United States when Mathew was ten years old, following her mother's immigration.[2] She was raised in Philadelphia.[1] She completed her fifth grade at St. Thomas English School, Vennikulam, and then continued her education in Philadelphia.[2] She attended Penn State University before attending Delaware Law School for her Juris Doctor. She was also president of the Student Government Association at Penn State Abington and received a citation for leadership from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.[1] She also studied at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.[1]
She is married to Jimmy Mathew, who hails from Bheemanady in Kasaragod district. They have three children.[1]
Career
Mathew stated that her parents dealt with financial and legal problems during their initial days in the United States prompted her to "think that this would not have happened had they known the law and legal aspects", which inspired her to study law. She served as the Associate Municipal Judge in Arcola, Texas, and has been a practising attorney since 2010, specializing in mass tort, civil litigation, probate, and criminal cases in Fort Bend and nearby counties.[1] She was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Administrative law judge for the County Courts and also led the inaugural Juvenile Intervention and Mental Health Court.[1]
In 2018, Mathew became the First Judge of Asian descent, and the first Indian American to be elected to the bench in Fort Bend County, Texas for four years.[2] In 2023, she re-elected for a second term for four years after defeating her Republican challenger Andrew Dornburg.[1][2][3] She sworn in as the judge through videoconference from her husband's house in Bheemanady.[1][2]Mathew (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Number 3 judge of the Fort Bend County Court at Law in Texas. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026