Judge Shelton T.W. Gibbs IV

Shelton T.W. Gibbs IV was elected Judge of the 422ndDistrict Court July 14, 2020 and was sworn in January 1, 2021 as Kaufman County’s first African American district judge.

Judge Gibbs graduated from Terrell High School in 1998 with honors. In the fall of that same year, he attended Southwestern Christian College where he served as sophomore class president and graduated valedictorian with an Associates of Science Degree in 2000.

Gibbs next enrolled at Abilene Christian University. While there he received numerous scholastic and service awards including the University Scholar Award, the Trent and Meador Scholar Award, the Jack Pope Fellows Scholar Award, and the Honor Man Award. Gibbs graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from Abilene Christian University, Summa Cum Laude, in 2002.

In the fall of 2002, Gibbs was admitted to Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law. While in law school he served as legal intern for Belo Corporation, a media conglomerate headquartered in Dallas, Texas. He worked in the legal department with Belo executives on projects for its 20-subsidiary television and print companies, including WFAA-TV Channel 8, The Dallas Morning News in Dallas/Fort Worth, KHOU-TV in Houston, KING-TV in Seattle/Tacoma, and KTVK-TV in Phoenix.

In June of 2007, Gibbs was hired as Assistant District Attorney for Kaufman County. During his13-year tenure as a prosecutor, Gibbs served as the Chief Felony Prosecutor for the 86^th District Court and tried more than 60 jury trials to verdict.

Gibbs has helped plan annual seminars for the Texas District & County Attorneys Association (TDCAA) Training Committee—for whom he has served as a presenter in trainings throughout the state.

Gibbs currently serves on the board of trustees for Abilene Christian University, Terrell Excellence Foundation (Terrell Independent School District) and the Senior Connect Board. He is also a former board member for the Crandall ISD Education Foundation (2014–2016).

Gibbs has been inducted into the Academic Halls of Fame/Honor for Terrell Independent School District and Southwestern Christian College. Gibbs also received the “Young Alumnus of the Year award in 2021 from Abilene Christian University and currently serves as a Community Fellow for the SMU Dedman School of Law, Inns of Court Program.

Gibbs was born into a legacy of Church of Christ ministers and serves as the Family Life Minister for the Greenville Ave. Church of Christ. He has been a guest speaker for many churches, civic organizations, and academic institutions throughout the Unites States.

Gibbs is married to Toni Francine Gibbs and is the proud father of three children, Shelton Gibbs V, Hamilton Gibbs, and Linden Gibbs.