Scott Brister
Scott Brister is a judge for Place 1 of the Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals. He assumed office on September 1, 2024. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Brister (Republican Party) is running for re-election for the Place 1 judge of the Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.
Brister was a justice of the Texas Supreme Court from November 21, 2003 to September 7, 2009. Brister was appointed to the court by Governor Rick Perry to serve the remainder of departing Justice Craig T. Enoch's term. Brister was elected to a six-year term in November 2, 2004.[1][2][3] His replacement was Eva Guzman.[4]
Brister was appointed on June 11, 2024 by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to the newly created Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals.[5]
Education
Brister graduated from Duke University and Harvard Law School.[6]
Career
In 1989, Brister was appointed to the 234th District Court in Harris County, where he remained until 1998. From 1998 to 1999, he was the civil administrative judge for the Harris County district court, and in 2000, he was elected to the First Court of Appeals. In 2001, Governor Perry appointed Justice Brister chief justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals of Texas in 2001, and was re-elected the next year.[6]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1
Incumbent Scott Brister (R) and Jerry Zimmerer (D) are running in the general election for Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Scott Brister (R) | ||
 | Jerry Zimmerer (D) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1
Jerry Zimmerer (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry Zimmerer | 100.0 | 1,835,949 |
| Total votes: 1,835,949 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1
Incumbent Scott Brister (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Scott Brister | 100.0 | 1,676,670 | |
| Total votes: 1,676,670 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Brister received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Texas Alliance For Life
- Texas Civil Justice League
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1 |
Officeholder Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals Place 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Texas Supreme Court, "Press Release: JUSTICE BRISTER ANNOUNCES HIS RESIGNATION FROM COURT," August 17, 2009
- ↑ Tex Parte Blog, "Justice Scott A. Brister shares his reasons for resigning," August 17, 2009
- ↑ Tex Parte Blog, "Justice Scott Brister to resign, head Andrews Kurth's appellate practice," August 17, 2009
- ↑ Rick Perry News Release, "Gov. Perry Appoints First Hispanic Female to Supreme Court of Texas," October 8, 2009
- ↑ [https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-appoints-inaugural-members-to-fifteenth-court-of-appeals/ Office of the Texas Governor Greg Abbott, "Governor Abbott Appoints Inaugural Members To Fifteenth Court Of Appeals," June 11, 2024.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Texas Supreme Court, "Justice Brister"
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
