What Hit Texas' Court System Tuesday: 'Black Girl Magic'

The most populous county in Texas got hit with some "black girl magic" on Tuesday—which is why you'll now see a whole bunch of proud female African-American judges on the bench going forward. While much of the nation was hyperfocused on another race in Texas—that of Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz for a US Senate seat—19 black women ran for judge in Harris County on Election Day, and all 19 of them emerged victorious, per the Guardian and BuzzFeed News. The women (dubbed the "Houston 19," per the BBC) all stumped together under the "Black Girl Magic" slogan, posing for a pre-election photo and spurring a hashtag of the same label.

The Guardian notes that although just 30% of the state's populace is white men, that demographic makes up nearly three-fifths of state court judges, which is why those newly elected Harris County judges say this development is so significant. "Having an African-American judge or having a female judge—those are the kinds of things we bring to the bench," Latosha Lewis Payne, now judge-elect for the 55th Civil Judicial District, tells FOX 26. "We bring an understanding of a person who may come from that similar background." The BBC lists all 19 winners. (What may be in the cards for Texas' most high-profile politician this year: Beto O'Rourke.)