Ask 99th District Judge William C. Sowder if a district attorney has more power than a district judge, and he’ll tell you that the prosecutor wins that battle. Sowder makes that evaluation even though he relinquished his position as the top prosecutor in Lubbock County, trading it in for a spot on the district court bench.

“The DA exerts more power, but you can stay in that top position too long,” says Sowder, who served as DA just short of 11 years.