Honorable Christopher G. Morales, Judge

Judge Christopher Morales

Chris Morales was elected as Judge of County Court at Law No. 1 in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and 2022.  He is currently the longest serving Judge in Fort Bend County. As Judge, he manages a multitude of cases that impacts the daily life of every citizen in Fort Bend County.  Judge Morales oversees cases involving probate & guardianship, juvenile, civil litigation, condemnation, misdemeanors, and civil mental health commitments.  Most importantly, Judge Morales also oversees Fort Bend County’s only Misdemeanor Mental Health Court, a program designed to reduce recidivism rates among criminal defendants with mental illness.  

Since taking office, Judge Morales has been instrumental in implementing new technologies in the courtroom that reduce taxpayer costs and ensure the courts evolve with the community’s changing needs. When the COVID-19 Pandemic closed the courts, Judge Morales’ previous planning and knowledge of virtual conferencing platforms allowed his Court to quickly adopt such technology to conduct remote hearings, reducing the impact on Court operations.  In fact, he was the first Judge in Fort Bend County to conduct a fully remote video conferencing hearing after the courts were shut down.  Furthermore, Judge Morales has worked with the local bar association to introduce multiple continuing education events for lawyers and has worked closely with the Juvenile Probation Department for the youth of our County.  For his efforts, Judge Morales was honored in 2018 by the United States Army for his work with juveniles, and in 2022 with the Lone Star Legal Aid Pro Bono Excellence Award for his continuing education seminars with the local bar associations.  

Judge Morales is a 15-year Fellow with the Texas Bar College, and over his career has served on the Fort Bend County Mental Health Advisory Board, Fort Bend County Criminal Justice Mental Health Task Force, Fort Bend County Truancy Committee, Fort Bend County Council of Judges, Fort Bend County Juvenile Board and Fort Bend County Law Library Committee.  Prior to becoming a Judge, he served as Vice Chair of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Division and the Central Fort Bend County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Division.  In 2012, Judge Morales was listed as one of Fort Bend’s Top 40 Under 40, by the Fort Bend County Business Journal, and in 2016 was listed as a runner up for Texas A&M University’s 12 Under 12 Young Alumni.  

Judge Morales is a lifelong resident of Fort Bend County, graduating from B.F. Terry High School in Rosenberg and Texas A&M University in College Station. On Monday evenings, Judge Morales is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston Law Center, were he teaches trial advocacy.

Office Information

Office Address

Fort Bend County Justice Center
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Courtroom 2C
Richmond, TX. 77469

Mailing Address

County Court at Law No.1
301 Jackson Street
Richmond, TX. 77469

Telephone

281-633-7415

Fax

832 471-1861

Hours

Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - Noon; 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

CCL1 Staff 2024

Language Access | Important Notices


Notice of Language Assistance Services

FORT BEND COUNTY COURTS AT LAW AND DISTRICT COURTS ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING MEANINGFUL ACCESS TO COURT SERVICES FOR LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP) PERSONS. LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH A COURT PROCEEDING WHO HAS DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OR WHO NEEDS A DOCUMENT TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH.
IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH, YOU MAY REQUEST LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE. TO REQUEST INTERPERETATION OR TRANSLATION SERVICED FOR THE FORT BEND COUNTY COURTS, PLEASE VISIT THE LANGUAGE ACCESS WEBPAGE.




AI Disclosure | Important Notices


Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure Requirement

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been used in the preparation, research, and drafting of petitions, motions, complaints, answers and briefs filed with this Court. Specifically, ChatGPT, Bard, vLex, Lexis+AI and Westlaw’s Ask Practical Law AI have been used to conduct legal research and draft documents. Thus, attorney’s will certify in each document filed with this Court that each and every legal assertion, citation to judicial and legislative authority, or other law and reference to the record of the case have been independently verified as accurate. Failure to do so may result in appropriate sanctions in accordance with Texas law.

Zoom Room Locations | Important Notices


Zoom Room Locations

The following locations offer free access to the Zoom platform for parties wishing to appear for court proceedings in Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 1. Please be sure to check with the Law Library prior to the date of your setting to confirm availability.
Fort Bend County Willie Melton Law Library
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Room 20714 
Richmond, Texas 77469 
(281) 341-3718   
County Court at Law No. 1 Attorney/Client Meeting Room
1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Room 2C
Richmond, Texas 77469
(281) 633-7415