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Judges appointed by Greg Abbott
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This page lists judges appointed by Greg Abbott (R) during his term as Governor of Texas. As of today, the total number of Abbott appointees was 106. For the full profile of Abbott, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Texas judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Abbott.
Appointment process
In Texas, the governor makes judicial appointments. Before joining a court, the nominee must be confirmed by the Texas Senate.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state. These lists are updated automatically with new appointments.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice |
January 6, 2025 - Present |
|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 2 |
January 6, 2025 - Present |
|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 2 |
January 2, 2018 - January 6, 2025 |
|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 5 |
October 30, 2020 - Present |
|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 6 |
August 26, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 8 |
March 20, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas Supreme Court Place 9 |
November 9, 2021 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 |
January 1, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice |
October 1, 2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice |
December 8, 2023 - December 31, 2024 |
|
|
Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals Place 2 |
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas Eleventh District Court of Appeals Chief Justice |
September 17, 2018 - Present |
|
|
Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1 |
September 1, 2024 - Present |
|
|
Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 |
September 1, 2024 - Present |
|
|
Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
September 1, 2024 - Present |
|
|
Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13 |
December 26, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
November 1, 2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 6 |
August 31, 2020 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 9 |
||
|
Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 4 |
September 3, 2024 - Present |
|
|
Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 4 |
January 1, 2021 - September 1, 2024 |
|
|
Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 5 |
July 23, 2020 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
Texas First District Court of Appeals Place 9 |
||
|
Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals Place 9 |
January 1, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
July 8, 2024 - December 31, 2024 |
|
|
Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 |
January 22, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas Second District Court of Appeals Place 2 |
2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas Second District Court of Appeals Place 4 |
2017 - Present |
|
|
Texas Second District Court of Appeals Place 6 |
January 6, 2017 - 2019 |
|
|
Texas Second District Court of Appeals Place 6 |
September 3, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 2 |
2017 - Present |
|
|
Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
September 29, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals Place 4 |
January 21, 2020 - Present |
|
|
Texas Sixth District Court of Appeals Place 2 |
January 1, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Texas Sixth District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
April 25, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 |
January 6, 2025 - Present |
|
|
Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
September 1, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 |
February 20, 2019 - May 31, 2021 |
|
|
Texas Thirteenth District Court of Appeals Place 4 |
July 24, 2019 - December 31, 2024 |
|
|
Texas Thirteenth District Court of Appeals Place 6 |
2019 - December 31, 2020 |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 2 |
January 4, 2023 - December 31, 2024 |
|
|
Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 7 |
2017 - 2018 |
|
|
Tarrant County Criminal District Court No. 3 |
January 5, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Texas 140th District Court |
September 15, 2020 - Present |
|
|
Texas 143rd District Court |
||
|
Texas 162nd District Court |
February 6, 2023 - December 31, 2024 |
|
|
Texas 164th District Court |
2020 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
Texas 187th District Court |
||
|
Texas 190th District Court |
||
|
Texas 192nd District Court |
March 26, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 213th District Court |
2018 - Present |
|
|
Texas 226th District Court |
||
|
Texas 232nd District Court |
||
|
Texas 249th District Court |
October 1, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas 254th District Court |
2019 - December 31, 2020 |
|
|
Texas 254th District Court |
2015 - 2016 |
|
|
Texas 256th District Court |
2022 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 267th District Court |
||
|
Texas 271st District Court |
November 1, 2017 - Present |
|
|
Texas 303rd District Court |
April 2, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 339th District Court |
2019 - January 1, 2021 |
|
|
Texas 348th District Court |
2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas 355th District Court |
||
|
Texas 358th District Court |
||
|
Texas 361st District Court |
2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 366th District Court |
October 3, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas 369th District Court |
||
|
Texas 371st District Court |
2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas 435th District Court |
||
|
Texas 437th District Court |
April 12, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 445th District Court |
||
|
Texas 446th District Court |
||
|
Texas 44th District Court |
March 26, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 450th District Court |
||
|
Texas 451st District Court |
2016 - 2018 |
|
|
Texas 455th District Court |
2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 456th District Court |
January 1, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas 458th District Court |
||
|
Texas 459th District Court |
||
|
Texas 462nd District Court |
January 1, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas 467th District Court |
January 1, 2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas 469th District Court |
2015 - Present |
|
|
Texas 470th District Court |
2015 - December 26, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 470th District Court |
February 6, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Texas 471st District Court |
September 1, 2019 - Present |
|
|
Texas 480th District Court |
October 1, 2023 - September 1, 2024 |
|
|
Texas 481st District Court |
January 1, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas 482nd District Court |
2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 485th District Court |
2022 - Present |
|
|
Texas 486th District Court |
||
|
Texas 487th District Court |
||
|
Texas 488th District Court |
||
|
Texas 48th District Court |
2021 - Present |
|
|
Texas 493rd District Court |
October 3, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Texas 494th District Court |
||
|
Texas 495th District Court |
January 1, 2025 - Present |
|
|
Texas 496th District Court |
||
|
Texas 497th District Court |
||
|
Texas 507th District Court |
2015 - 2016 |
|
|
Texas 61st District Court |
||
|
Texas 6th District Court |
||
|
Texas 72nd District Court |
January 24, 2021 - December 31, 2022 |
|
|
Texas 89th District Court |
||
|
Texas 93rd District Court |
2018 - 2019 |
|
|
Texas 95th District Court |
||
|
Texas 9th District Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Texas
| Judicial selection in Texas | |
 | |
| Texas Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Texas Court of Criminal Appeals | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Texas Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Texas District Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
| Texas County Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
| Texas Justice of the Peace Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Texas, including:
- Texas Supreme Court,
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals,
- Texas Court of Appeals, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, judges for all courts in the state were selected through partisan elections. Term lengths vary, but all judges were required to run for re-election at the ends of their terms if they wished to continue serving.[2]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[4] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[5] | 1[6] | 17[7] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Texas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Texas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 27,429,639 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 261,232 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 74.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 11.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 81.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.6% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,207 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Texas. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Texas
Texas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Texas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[8]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Texas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Texas coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Texas
- United States congressional delegations from Texas
- Public policy in Texas
- Endorsers in Texas
- Texas fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the Texas Governor, "Appointment Process," accessed March 26, 2015
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas
State courts:
Texas Supreme Court • Texas Court of Appeals • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals • Texas District Courts • Texas County Courts • Texas County Courts at Law • Texas Statutory Probate Courts • Texas Justice of the Peace Courts
State resources:
Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas
