Stephanie Boyd #

Introduction #

Stephanie Boyd is a Texas district court judge who presides over the 187th Criminal District Court in San Antonio, in Bexar County. In June 2026, the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct issued her a public warning after concluding that her conduct in multiple criminal cases and on her court’s YouTube channel violated judicial standards. The sanction was administrative, not criminal: a public reprimand that becomes part of her permanent disciplinary record, but which does not remove her from the bench or bar her from continuing to preside over cases. The matter drew wide coverage in San Antonio because much of the conduct the commission cited played out on a livestream — Boyd had broadcast her court’s criminal proceedings on YouTube, where viewers could react in real time.

Background Information #

Boyd served as judge of the 187th Criminal District Court, a criminal trial court in Bexar County. Her court streamed its proceedings on a YouTube channel provided by the Office of Court Administration, and according to the commission she also engaged viewers in extrajudicial activities, including hosting a book club on the channel. The commission found the channel allowed viewers to leave comments and messages in real time about court proceedings and participants. Boyd told the commission under oath that she never reviewed or responded to viewers’ comments or messages, and that all of her decisions were based solely on the evidence presented and the law. Politically, Boyd is a Democrat who lost her most recent bid to be her party’s candidate for the 187th District Court, and her term is up at the end of 2026.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which investigated and issued a public warning. They were never admitted by Stephanie Boyd, never criminally charged, and never adjudicated in court.

In a public warning issued June 3, 2026, the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct said it reviewed allegations against Boyd, the judge of the 187th Criminal District Court in San Antonio, during its meeting on April 8-9, 2026. The commission said Boyd was advised of its concerns by letter and provided a written response.

The commission’s findings concerned Boyd’s use of the court’s YouTube channel and her conduct in two criminal matters. It said Boyd hosted a book club on the court’s YouTube channel, allowing real-time comments and messages about court proceedings and participants.

The first matter was a July 6, 2023 plea hearing in State of Texas v. Willberth Villamil. According to the commission, Boyd rejected a plea agreement submitted by the parties and, after learning Villamil was withdrawing his plea, “improperly injected herself into the plea bargaining process by asking if Villamil ‘was willing to accept the 20 years in prison offered by the court.’” The commission said she also remarked that the case against Villamil was “a life-sentence worthy case.”

The second was an October 28, 2024 probation revocation hearing in State of Texas v. Thomas Henson. The commission said that after explaining to Henson that he faced 20 years in prison, Boyd directed the court reporter to go “off the record” while the livestream continued, then told him: “So it appears that you want to go to prison to be passed around for cigarettes or dessert. Because that’s what’s going to happen to you.” The commission found the remarks were not patient, dignified, or courteous.

The commission concluded Boyd should be publicly warned for four areas of misconduct: failing to comply with or maintain professional competence in the law by inserting herself into the Villamil plea bargaining process; failing to be patient, dignified, and courteous toward Villamil and Henson; performing her judicial duties with bias or prejudice toward Henson during the revocation hearing; and making public comments through the court’s YouTube channel about pending or impending proceedings in a manner that suggested her probable decisions. It determined the conduct constituted willful and persistent behavior inconsistent with the proper performance of judicial duties and “cast public discredit on the judiciary and administration of justice,” in violation of Canons 2A, 3B(2), 3B(4), 3B(5), and 3B(6) of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct and Article V, Section 1-a(6)A of the Texas Constitution.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The warning became publicly known on June 12-13, 2026, when KSAT and News 4 San Antonio reported it. KSAT noted the punishment amounts to a public reprimand on Boyd’s permanent disciplinary record but does not remove her from the bench or prevent her from continuing to preside over cases. Through her attorney, Boyd declined to comment, saying she was “instead focused on continuing to meet her obligations and duties of protecting the good citizens of Bexar County.” In her sworn responses, she had denied ever being influenced by any outside source and said she never relied on viewers’ comments, while acknowledging the book club and saying she no longer participates. She also told the commission she believed Henson was not taking the charges or the potential probation seriously.

Current Status #

Boyd remains the judge of the 187th Criminal District Court. The public warning issued June 3, 2026, is part of her permanent disciplinary record with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. She told the commission she no longer hosts the book club on the court’s YouTube channel. Her term is up at the end of 2026, and she lost her most recent Democratic primary bid for the seat. No criminal charges were ever filed against her, and the commission’s action was administrative.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The practical effect of the commission’s action is a permanent public disciplinary record. The warning does not remove Boyd from office, carries no criminal penalty, and does not by itself disqualify her from continuing to hear cases. Its political weight, however, lands on a judge whose electoral position was already weakened: KSAT reported that Boyd lost her latest bid to be the Democratic candidate for the 187th District Court and that her term ends at the close of 2026. The findings also ended the practices that had made her court visible — she told the commission she no longer hosts the book club, and the commission’s scrutiny focused directly on the livestreamed proceedings and the audience interactions they invited. Boyd maintains that her rulings were based solely on the evidence presented and the law.