Judge Steven Kirkland grew up in West Texas before moving to Houston to attend Rice University. After graduating from Rice in 1982, he worked as a paralegal at Texaco in order to put himself through the University of Houston Law School. In 1990 Judge Kirkland began his career as an attorney litigating environmental, bankruptcy and other complex cases for that company, which he continued for eight years until he left to represent citizens committed to cleaning up air quality in Houston.

From 2001 through 2008, Judge Kirkland served as a Judge in Houston Municipal Courts. During his tenure, he created the Houston Homeless Recovery Court, which works in conjunction with the Houston Coalition for the Homeless. In recognition of this achievement, Judge Kirkland was awarded the 2006 Government Friend of the Homeless by Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County.

Off the bench, Judge Kirkland is active in affordable housing, historic preservation, Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender rights issues. He was a founding board member of Avenue Community Development Corporation which is a community based affordable housing provider in the Near Northside and Washington Avenue corridor. His real estate projects have been recognized with awards by the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance and others.

Judge Kirkland was elected to the 215th District Court in election of 2008. Judge Kirkland’s path to sobriety and history of alcoholism became an issue in his 2012 reelection campaign where his opponent resurfaced an arrest for DWI for from 1982. He lost that election, but won subsequent elections returning to the bench in 2016. Judge Kirkland and his husband currently reside in East Texas enjoying semiretirement.