John R. Carter

When John Carter settled down in Central Texas with his wife, Erika, he knew it was the right place to raise his family because of the great schools, low taxes, and safe communities. John was a young lawyer who recently completed his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech and his law degree from University of Texas. At first, he was only one of two lawyers in Round Rock, Texas, but a decade later John Carter was appointed District Judge for the 277th District Court in Williamson County. During that time, he aptly earned the nickname that stuck with him to this day; Judge.

On the bench, Judge was known for his no-nonsense approach to keeping our community safe. In fact, it was this mentality that encouraged him to run for Congress in 2002. When he watched the towers fall and saw his nation in mourning on September 11, 2001, he looked for ways to serve his country. As a judge, John was known for bringing justice to those who harmed others, and he realized that this experience would be useful in Congress as the nation went to war against a new enemy.

Judge’s expertise on protecting the homeland, his commitment to our military and their families, and his integrity for taking care of veterans, quickly catapulted him into leadership positions among the Republican caucus. Judge currently serves as the Chairman on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committee. He also sits on the Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittee and the Defense subcommittee. He is one of the few members that has passed legislation under Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump.

Judge prides himself on delivering results for Texas’ 31st district no matter the political environment, and does this by following his guiding principle, “listen more than you speak.” It’s this belief that has allowed Judge to pass legislation like the Veterans Transplant Coverage Act, which stemmed from a Leander constituent being denied live-donor coverage from the VA. When Representative Carter heard this story, he went to work and passed legislation to ensure that the VA can never deny another veteran life-saving donor coverage.

To Judge, Central Texas is home, and Washington is simply where he works. That’s why he chooses to sleep on a pull-out couch in his office when he works in DC and hops on the first flight back to God’s Country after final votes. When he’s not working, he’s babysitting his seven grandchildren and spending time with his wife of 57 years and their four children. Together, Erika and John have raised their family on strong Christian beliefs and Texas values.