Rashelle Fetty, a board-certified family law attorney based in Colleyville, has entered the race for judge of Tarrant County’s 231st District Court, a bench that exclusively handles family law cases.
Ahead of the March 2026 Republican primary, Fetty says she is seeking the seat to bring a fresh perspective, firm conservative principles, transparent accountability, and a renewed focus on the best interests of children in the community.
Looking back, Fetty’s path to law hasn’t been exactly what you would call traditional. She grew up in Enid, Oklahoma, and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Old Dominion University in Virginia, where she earned a Division I scholarship on the women’s golf team – an accomplishment she still calls her proudest. “There’s lots of lawyers and business owners out there, but not that many Division One scholarship athletes,” she told The Dallas Express.
Fetty’s transition to Texas came amid personal upheaval, a time she credits for developing a personal connection to family law.
Shaped by Challenges, Board-Certified, and Ready to Run Court with DOGE Discipline
Just before starting law school – initially at Regent University in Virginia – she lost her father unexpectedly. She began classes at what is now Texas A&M School of Law in Fort Worth, and fought her way through more family adversity during final exams. Those early challenges, she says, shaped her empathy for people navigating family law cases and the sporadic tribulations life can throw at you.
Originally aiming for a prosecutor’s career, Fetty shifted the direction of her career in part to honor her late father’s concerns about the dangers and risks of that path – ironically landing in family law, which she notes can involve intense emotions and even bigger safety risks of its own.
She passed the Texas bar in 2013 and immediately launched The Fetty Firm, where she focuses on divorce, child custody, child support, adoptions, estate planning, probate, wills, trusts, and more.
Board-certified in family law since 2020, Fetty views the credential as pretty much an essential for a judge in a specialized family court like District 231.
“The board certification shows that you not only know the law, but you’re committed to practicing it,” Fetty said.
Fetty has also logged hundreds of hours – around 800 – as a mediator, training time she credits with sharpening her ability to remain objective.
A lifelong conservative and Christian, Fetty emphasizes that her values align with the basic foundational principles in Texas law. She pointed out her verifiable voting and donation history – not a single Democratic vote or donation – as proof of her commitment.
If elected, she pledges to continue that fiscal responsibility in managing court resources, drawing on her experience running her own firm. When talking on financial responsibility and accountability, she said, “I would absolutely approach running a court with a DOGE mindset.”
Best Interests of Children: Patience, Compassion, and Respect are Non-negotiable
What drives her campaign most, though, is a desire to refocus family court on its core mission: to uphold the best interests of children.
Fetty spoke about holding hearings openly in the courtroom rather than in chambers, so parties feel seen and heard rather than like “cogs in a machine.”
When speaking about the impact of family law, she detailed how family cases ripple through entire communities, touching so many aspects we might overlook. “I believe that the family courts touch more lives in our community than any other court does, because it’s not just the adults that go to get divorced, right? It’s, it’s their kids…just everybody in the whole community ends up being touched by what goes on in the family court.”
Fetty also spoke a bit about the “Tarrant County way” – a sense of kindness and decency among people here that she wants reflected in a judge. Litigants often face their worst days in court; yet she seems to believe patience, compassion, and respect are non-negotiable.
Her personal life experiences give her a firsthand understanding of what some families endure. “I know how people feel when they’re going through a family law case,” she told DX, while reminiscing on overcoming those past hurdles in law school.
Now, Fetty’s vision is straightforward: use her expertise to fix problems in the family court system by listening to litigants, prioritizing efficiency and accountability in the courtroom, and, most importantly, placing the children above all else.
