Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Court Information
	Justices: 9
	Founded: 1876
	Location: Austin
Salary
	Associates: $168,000
Judicial Selection
	Method: Partisan election
	Term: 6 years
Active justices
	Lee Finley, Mary Lou Keel, Jesse McClure, David Newell, Gina Parker, Bert Richardson, David Schenck, Scott Walker, Kevin Patrick Yeary

Judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Founded in 1876, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state's court of last resort for criminal matters and has nine judgeships. The current presiding judge of the court is David Schenck.

As of January 2025, all nine judges on the court identified with the Republican party.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals meets in Austin, Texas.

In Texas, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.

Jurisdiction

Courthouse of the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin

The Texas Supreme Court has jurisdiction over all civil cases, while the Court of Criminal Appeals exercises discretionary review over criminal cases. This means the court may choose whether or not to review a case. The only cases that the court must hear are those that involve sentencing decisions in capital punishment cases and other cases involving liberty issues, such capital punishment cases, cases where bail has been denied and habeas cases where a person being detained attempts to prove some constitutional right has been violated as a result of their detention. The court is based in the state capital, Austin, and includes nine judges. Article V of the Texas Constitution vests the judicial power of the state in the court, describes the court's jurisdiction. It also details the rules for judicial eligibility, elections, and filling vacancies on the court between elections.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals hears both mandatory and discretionary cases. "All cases that result in the death penalty are automatically directed to the Court of Criminal Appeals from the trial court level. A significant portion of the Court’s workload also involves the mandatory review of applications for post-conviction habeas corpus relief in felony cases without a death penalty, over which the Court has sole authority. In addition, decisions made by the intermediate courts of appeals in criminal cases may be appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by petition for discretionary review, which may be filed by the State, the defendant, or both. However, the Court may also review a decision on its own motion."^[2]

The following text from Article V, Section 5 of the Texas Constitution covers the organization and jurisdiction of the court:

“

Jurisdiction of Court of Criminal Appeals; Terms of Court; Clerk

(a) The Court of Criminal Appeals shall have final appellate jurisdiction coextensive with the limits of the state, and its determinations shall be final, in all criminal cases of whatever grade, with such exceptions and under such regulations as may be provided in this Constitution or as prescribed by law.

(b) The appeal of all cases in which the death penalty has been assessed shall be to the Court of Criminal Appeals. The appeal of all other criminal cases shall be to the Courts of Appeal as prescribed by law. In addition, the Court of Criminal Appeals may, on its own motion, review a decision of a Court of Appeals in a criminal case as provided by law. Discretionary review by the Court of Criminal Appeals is not a matter of right, but of sound judicial discretion.

(c) Subject to such regulations as may be prescribed by law, the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Judges thereof shall have the power to issue the writ of habeas corpus, and, in criminal law matters, the writs of mandamus, procedendo, prohibition, and certiorari. The Court and the Judges thereof shall have the power to issue such other writs as may be necessary to protect its jurisdiction or enforce its judgments. The court shall have the power upon affidavit or otherwise to ascertain such matters of fact as may be necessary to the exercise of its jurisdiction.^[3]^[4]

”

—Texas Constitution, Article V, Section 5

Judges

The court is composed of a presiding judge and eight judges. Each judge serves a six-year term. They are elected in staggered partisan elections.

The table below lists the current justices of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, their political party, and when they assumed office.

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2	Mary Lou Keel	Republican	January 1, 2017
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3	Bert Richardson	Republican	January 1, 2015
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4	Kevin Patrick Yeary	Republican	January 1, 2015
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5	Scott Walker	Republican	January 1, 2017
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6	Jesse McClure	Republican	January 1, 2021
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7	Gina Parker	Republican	January 1, 2025
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8	Lee Finley	Republican	January 1, 2025
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9	David Newell	Republican	January 1, 2015
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge	David Schenck	Republican	January 1, 2025

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Texas

The nine judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are selected in statewide partisan elections. The elected justices and judges serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.^[5]

Qualifications

To serve on any of the appellate courts, a judge must be:

a U.S. citizen;
a resident of Texas;
licensed to practice law in the state;
between the ages of 35 and 75;*^[6]^[7] and
a practicing lawyer and/or judge for at least 10 years.^[5]

Presiding judge

The presiding judge of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals is selected by voters at large. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.^[5]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement who must be confirmed by the Texas Senate. The appointee serves until the next general election, in which he or she may compete to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.^[5]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections

See also: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals elections

2024

See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2024

Texas is one of two states with two courts of last resort. The Texas Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort for civil matters. The terms of three Texas Supreme Court justices expired on December 31, 2024. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state's court of last resort for criminal matters. The terms of three court of criminal appeals justices expired on December 31, 2024. All six seats were up for partisan election on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 5, 2024, and a primary runoff was May 28, 2024. The filing deadline was December 11, 2023.

Judges with expiring terms

Candidates and results

Texas Supreme Court

Place 2

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 2

Incumbent Jimmy Blacklock defeated DaSean Jones in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 2 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jimmy Blacklock (R)	58.2	6,372,584
	DaSean Jones (D)	41.8	4,571,171

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,943,755
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2

DaSean Jones defeated Randy Sarosdy in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	DaSean Jones	59.6	529,623
	Randy Sarosdy	40.4	359,402

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 889,025
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2

Incumbent Jimmy Blacklock advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jimmy Blacklock	100.0	1,749,450

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,749,450
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Place 4

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

Incumbent John Devine defeated Christine Weems in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Devine (R)	57.3	6,256,496
	Christine Weems (D)	42.7	4,656,560

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,913,056
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Matthew Sercely (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

Christine Weems advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christine Weems	100.0	825,485

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 825,485
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

Incumbent John Devine defeated Brian Walker in the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Devine	50.4	921,556
	Brian Walker	49.6	905,418

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,826,974
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

Matthew Sercely advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on April 14, 2024.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Matthew Sercely (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 6

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Incumbent Jane Bland defeated Bonnie Lee Goldstein and David Roberson in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jane Bland (R)	56.2	6,145,167
	Bonnie Lee Goldstein (D)	40.5	4,425,189
	David Roberson (L)	3.3	355,485

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,925,841
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Bonnie Lee Goldstein defeated Joe Pool Jr. in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bonnie Lee Goldstein	73.1	646,690
	Joe Pool Jr.	26.9	237,465

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 884,155
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Incumbent Jane Bland advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jane Bland	100.0	1,690,507

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,690,507
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

David Roberson advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on April 14, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		David Roberson (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Presiding judge

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge

David Schenck defeated Holly Taylor in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	David Schenck (R)	58.1	6,330,389
	Holly Taylor (D)	41.9	4,558,856

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 10,889,245
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge

Holly Taylor advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Holly Taylor	100.0	829,500

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 829,500
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge

David Schenck defeated incumbent Sharon Keller in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	David Schenck	62.6	1,174,795
	Sharon Keller	37.4	702,464

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,877,259
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 7

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Gina Parker defeated Nancy Mulder in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Gina Parker (R)	58.3	6,340,949
	Nancy Mulder (D)	41.7	4,526,924

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3	Total votes: 10,867,873
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Mark Ash (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Nancy Mulder advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Mulder	100.0	819,154

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 819,154
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Gina Parker defeated incumbent Barbara Hervey in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Gina Parker	66.1	1,210,956
	Barbara Hervey	33.9	621,660

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,832,616
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Mark Ash advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on April 14, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Mark Ash (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 8

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Lee Finley defeated Chika Anyiam in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lee Finley (R)	58.9	6,385,238
	Chika Anyiam (D)	41.1	4,461,229

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3	Total votes: 10,846,467
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Stephan Kinsella (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Chika Anyiam advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chika Anyiam	100.0	804,891

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 804,891
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Lee Finley defeated incumbent Michelle Slaughter in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lee Finley	53.9	988,824
	Michelle Slaughter	46.1	846,549

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,835,373
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Stephan Kinsella advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 on April 14, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Stephan Kinsella (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
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2022

See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2022

Candidates and election results

Texas Supreme Court

Place 3

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 3

Incumbent Debra Lehrmann defeated Erin Nowell and Tom Oxford in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Debra Lehrmann (R)	56.2	4,475,136
	Erin Nowell (D)	41.8	3,330,529
	Tom Oxford (L)	2.0	162,036

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,967,701
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3

Erin Nowell advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Erin Nowell	100.0	914,184

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 914,184
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3

Incumbent Debra Lehrmann advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Debra Lehrmann	100.0	1,535,581

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,535,581
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 3

Tom Oxford advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 3 on April 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Tom Oxford (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 5

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 5

Incumbent Rebeca Huddle defeated Amanda Reichek in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 5 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rebeca Huddle (R)	57.1	4,530,668
	Amanda Reichek (D)	42.9	3,406,054

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,936,722
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 5

Amanda Reichek advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 5 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amanda Reichek	100.0	913,836

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 913,836
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 5

Incumbent Rebeca Huddle advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 5 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebeca Huddle	100.0	1,519,069

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,519,069
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 9

General election

Special general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 9

Incumbent Evan Young defeated Julia Maldonado in the special general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 9 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Evan Young (R)	56.4	4,474,900
	Julia Maldonado (D)	43.6	3,458,103

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,933,003
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 9

Julia Maldonado advanced from the special Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 9 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julia Maldonado	100.0	922,595

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 922,595
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 9

Incumbent Evan Young defeated David Schenck in the special Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 9 on March 1, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Evan Young	54.9	860,852
	David Schenck	45.1	708,359

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,569,211
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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Place 2

General election

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Mary Lou Keel won election in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2

Incumbent Mary Lou Keel advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Lou Keel	100.0	1,485,583

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,485,583
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 5

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5

Incumbent Scott Walker defeated Dana Huffman in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Scott Walker (R)	56.9	4,513,500
	Dana Huffman (D)	43.1	3,413,071

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,926,571
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5

Dana Huffman advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dana Huffman	100.0	911,472

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 911,472
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5

Incumbent Scott Walker defeated Clint Morgan in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5 on March 1, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Scott Walker	56.6	884,160
	Clint Morgan	43.4	677,504

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,561,664
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Place 6

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6

Incumbent Jesse McClure defeated Robert Johnson in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jesse McClure (R)	57.2	4,526,307
	Robert Johnson (D)	42.8	3,383,705

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,910,012
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6

Robert Johnson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert Johnson	100.0	906,119

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 906,119
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6

Incumbent Jesse McClure advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jesse McClure	100.0	1,474,886

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,474,886
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2020

See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2020

Candidates and election results

Texas Supreme Court

Chief justice

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice

Incumbent Nathan Hecht defeated Amy Clark Meachum and Mark Ash in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Nathan Hecht (R)	53.0	5,827,085
	Amy Clark Meachum (D)	44.5	4,893,402
	Mark Ash (L)	2.5	277,491

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,997,978
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Charles E. Waterbury (G)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice

Amy Clark Meachum defeated Jerry Zimmerer in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice on March 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Amy Clark Meachum	80.5	1,434,175
	Jerry Zimmerer	19.5	347,186

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,781,361
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

William McLeod (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice

Incumbent Nathan Hecht advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nathan Hecht	100.0	1,718,096

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,718,096
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Green convention

Green convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice

Charles E. Waterbury advanced from the Green convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice on April 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Charles E. Waterbury (G)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice

Mark Ash advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 1 Chief Justice on August 3, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Mark Ash (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
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Place 6

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Incumbent Jane Bland defeated Kathy Cheng in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jane Bland (R)	55.2	6,050,534
	Kathy Cheng (D)	44.8	4,903,527

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,954,061
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Kathy Cheng defeated Larry Praeger in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Cheng	74.5	1,310,598
	Submit photo	Larry Praeger	25.5	448,114

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,758,712
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Incumbent Jane Bland advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jane Bland	100.0	1,699,236

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,699,236
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Place 7

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 7

Incumbent Jeffrey S. Boyd defeated Staci Williams and William Bryan Strange in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeffrey S. Boyd (R)	53.3	5,843,420
		Staci Williams (D)	44.4	4,861,649
	Submit photo	William Bryan Strange (L)	2.3	256,742

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,961,811
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7

Staci Williams defeated Brandy Voss in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on March 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Staci Williams	65.1	1,134,105
	Brandy Voss	34.9	608,288

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,742,393
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7

Incumbent Jeffrey S. Boyd advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeffrey S. Boyd	100.0	1,702,071

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,702,071
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 7

William Bryan Strange advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 7 on August 3, 2020.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	William Bryan Strange (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
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Place 8

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 8

Incumbent Brett Busby defeated Gisela Triana and Tom Oxford in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 8 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Brett Busby (R)	53.4	5,847,135
	Gisela Triana (D)	44.1	4,826,674
	Tom Oxford (L)	2.5	274,959

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,948,768
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8

Gisela Triana defeated Peter M. Kelly in the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8 on March 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Gisela Triana	72.0	1,251,611
	Peter M. Kelly	28.0	485,697

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,737,308
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8

Incumbent Brett Busby advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 8 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brett Busby	100.0	1,692,583

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,692,583
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 8

Tom Oxford advanced from the Libertarian convention for Texas Supreme Court Place 8 on August 3, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Tom Oxford (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Place 3

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3

Incumbent Bert Richardson defeated Elizabeth Davis Frizell in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bert Richardson (R)	54.5	5,953,924
	Elizabeth Davis Frizell (D)	45.5	4,964,460

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,918,384
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3

Elizabeth Davis Frizell defeated Dan Wood and William Demond in the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3 on March 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Elizabeth Davis Frizell	68.7	1,184,280
	Dan Wood	19.2	331,715
	William Demond	12.0	207,651

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,723,646
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3

Incumbent Bert Richardson defeated Gina Parker in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3 on March 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Bert Richardson	51.8	897,496
	Gina Parker	48.2	833,893

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,731,389
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Place 4

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Kevin Patrick Yeary defeated Tina Yoo Clinton in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kevin Patrick Yeary (R)	54.8	5,974,016
	Tina Yoo Clinton (D)	45.2	4,924,207

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,898,223
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

Tina Yoo Clinton defeated Steven Miears in the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 on March 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tina Yoo Clinton	80.5	1,380,356
	Steven Miears	19.5	334,474

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,714,830
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Kevin Patrick Yeary advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Patrick Yeary	100.0	1,679,193

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,679,193
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Place 6

See also: Texas Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2020)

Justice Michael Keasler's term expired on December 31, 2020. Keasler was required to leave office by a mandatory-retirement provision in the Texas Constitution.

Mike Snipes (D) had declared his candidacy for the seat prior to Texas' statewide filing deadline. However, Keasler's seat was ultimately not up for election in 2020. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) chose Keasler's replacement.^[8]

Place 9

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9

Incumbent David Newell defeated Brandon Birmingham in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	David Newell (R)	55.3	6,015,909
	Brandon Birmingham (D)	44.7	4,863,142

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,879,051
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9

Brandon Birmingham advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brandon Birmingham	100.0	1,570,444

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,570,444
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9

Incumbent David Newell advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Newell	100.0	1,676,841

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,676,841
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2018

See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2018

Candidates and results

Texas Supreme Court

Place 2

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 2

Incumbent Jimmy Blacklock defeated Steven Kirkland in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 2 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jimmy Blacklock (R)	53.2	4,358,756
	Steven Kirkland (D)	46.8	3,838,411

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,197,167
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2

Steven Kirkland advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Steven Kirkland

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2

Incumbent Jimmy Blacklock advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 2 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Jimmy Blacklock

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Place 4

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

Incumbent John Devine defeated R.K. Sandill in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	John Devine (R)	53.7	4,399,890
	R.K. Sandill (D)	46.3	3,792,144

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,192,034
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

R.K. Sandill advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		R.K. Sandill

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4

Incumbent John Devine advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 4 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		John Devine

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Place 6

General election

General election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Incumbent Jeff Brown defeated Kathy Cheng in the general election for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jeff Brown (R)	53.7	4,404,602
	Kathy Cheng (D)	46.3	3,796,001

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,200,603
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Kathy Cheng advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Kathy Cheng

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6

Incumbent Jeff Brown advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Supreme Court Place 6 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Jeff Brown

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Presiding judge

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge

Incumbent Sharon Keller defeated Maria T. Jackson and William Bryan Strange in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharon Keller (R)	52.2	4,288,913
		Maria T. Jackson (D)	45.5	3,734,179
	Submit photo	William Bryan Strange (L)	2.3	187,384

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,210,476
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge

Maria T. Jackson advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Maria T. Jackson

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge

Incumbent Sharon Keller defeated David Bridges in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge on March 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Sharon Keller	52.1	671,361
	David Bridges	47.9	616,096

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,287,457
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Place 7

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Barbara Hervey defeated Ramona Franklin in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Barbara Hervey (R)	54.2	4,429,113
	Ramona Franklin (D)	45.8	3,750,114

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,179,227
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Ramona Franklin advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Ramona Franklin

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Barbara Hervey advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Barbara Hervey

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Place 8

General election

General election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Michelle Slaughter defeated Mark Ash in the general election for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Michelle Slaughter (R)	74.7	4,760,576
	Mark Ash (L)	25.3	1,614,119

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,374,695
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8

Michelle Slaughter defeated Jay Brandon and Dib Waldrip in the Republican primary for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 8 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michelle Slaughter	52.8	666,763
	Submit photo	Jay Brandon	30.7	387,751
		Dib Waldrip	16.4	207,209

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,261,723
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

Main article: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals elections, 2016

Three seats on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals were on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016. These seats were held by Lawrence Meyers (D), Cheryl Johnson (R), and Michael Keasler (R) heading into the election. Each justice elected to the court serves a six-year term. The court had an 8-1 Republican majority heading into the election.

General election candidates

Place 2

■ Lawrence Meyers (D) (Incumbent)
■ Mary Lou Keel (R)
■ Mark Ash (Lib.)
■ Adam Reposa (Green)

Place 5

■ Betsy Johnson (D)
■ Scott Walker (R)
■ William Bryan Strange (Lib.)
■ Judith Sanders-Castro (Green)

Place 6

■ Robert D. Burns III (D)
■ Michael Keasler (R) (Incumbent)
■ Mark Bennett (Lib.)

Election results

November 8 general election

Mary Lou Keel (R) defeated incumbent Lawrence Meyers (D), Mark Ash (L), and Adam Reposa (G) in the general election for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mary Lou Keel	54.88%	4,790,800
	Democratic	Lawrence Meyers Incumbent	40.05%	3,496,205
	Libertarian	Mark Ash	3.68%	321,568
	Green	Adam Reposa	1.39%	121,467
Total Votes (100% reporting)				8,730,040
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Scott Walker (Texas) defeated Betsy Johnson (Texas), William Bryan Strange and Judith Sanders-Castro in the general election for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Walker (Texas)	54.75%	4,782,144
	Democratic	Betsy Johnson (Texas)	40.20%	3,511,950
	Libertarian	William Bryan Strange	2.84%	248,109
	Green	Judith Sanders-Castro	2.21%	192,913
Total Votes (100% reporting)				8,735,116
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Incumbent Michael Keasler defeated Robert D. Burns III and Mark Bennett (Texas) in the general election for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael Keasler Incumbent	54.97%	4,785,012
	Democratic	Robert D. Burns III	40.89%	3,558,844
	Libertarian	Mark Bennett (Texas)	4.14%	360,167
Total Votes (100% reporting)				8,704,023
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

May 24 primary runoff

Place 2

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Republican Runoff, Place 2, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mary Lou Keel	50.87%	184,405
	Republican	Ray Wheless	49.13%	178,114
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				362,519
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Place 5

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Republican Runoff, Place 5, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Walker (Texas)	58.02%	206,922
	Republican	Brent Webster	41.98%	149,714
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				356,636
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

March 1 primary election

Place 2

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mary Lou Keel	39.42%	785,448
	Republican	Ray Wheless	35.43%	705,909
	Republican	Chris Oldner	25.15%	501,063
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				1,992,420
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2, Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Lawrence Meyers Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	971,670
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				971,670
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Place 5

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Walker	41.48%	833,757
	Republican	Brent Webster	20.45%	411,119
	Republican	Steve Smith	19.60%	393,992
	Republican	Sid Harle	18.47%	371,303
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				2,010,171
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5, Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Betsy Johnson (unopposed)	100.00%	985,406
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				985,406
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Place 6

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael Keasler Incumbent	56.87%	1,102,194
	Republican	Richard Dean Davis	43.13%	835,758
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				1,937,952
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 6, Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robert D. Burns III (unopposed)	100.00%	958,408
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				958,408
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Election history until 2012 (click to expand)

2014

See also Texas judicial elections, 2014

Place 3

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Primary Vote	Election Vote
WaltherBarbara Walther	No	Republican	39.6%
BennettMark Bennett (Texas)	No	Libertarian		3.6% D
GranbergJohn Granberg	No	Democratic	100%A	36.5% D
RichardsonBert Richardson A	No	Republican	60.4%A	59.8% A

Place 4

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Primary Vote	Election Vote
YearyKevin Patrick Yeary A	No	Republican	54.7%A	76.2% A
DavisRichard Dean Davis	No	Republican	28.0%
Sanders-CastroJudith Sanders-Castro	No	Green		10.4% D
ParkerQuanah Parker	No	Libertarian		13.3% D
WoodJani Jo Wood	No	Republican	17.4%

Place 9

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Primary Vote	Election Vote
KirkendallWilliam Kirkendall	No	Republican	47.7%
StrangeWilliam Bryan Strange	No	Libertarian		13.1% D
NewellDavid Newell A	No	Republican	52.3%A	78.3% A

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Place	Primary Vote	Election Vote
HerveyBarbara Hervey A	Yes	Republican	Place 7	100%A	77.9% A
AlcalaElsa Alcala A	Yes	Republican	Place 8	100%A	78.1% A
HamptonKeith Hampton	No	Democratic	Presiding Judge	100%A	41.2% A
StottLance Stott	No	Libertarian	Presiding Judge		3.3% A
BennettMark Bennett (Texas)	No	Libertarian	Place 6		22.1% A
KellerSharon Keller A	Yes	Republican		100%A	55.5% A
StrangeWilliam Bryan Strange	No	Libertarian	Place 5		21.9% A

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached in each year.^[9]

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals caseload data
Year	Filings	Dispositions
2022	4,027	4,203
2021	4,975	5,412
2020	5,120	4,578
2019	5,414	5,411
2018	5,957	6,231
2017	6,380	6,375
2016	6,838	6,849
2015	6,908	6,876
2014	7,246	7,299
2013	7,661	7,855
2012	7,762	7,502
2011	7,169	7,147
2010	6,903	6,823
2009	7,644	7,914
2008	8,189	8,416
2007	9,047	9,222

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

Ballotpedia Courts Determiners and Dissenters navigation ad.png In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

Number of justices: 9
Number of cases: 159
Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 81.1% (129)
Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice Keller (9)
Per curiam decisions: 116
Concurring opinions: 22
Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice Keasler (6)
Dissenting opinions: 21
Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice Yeary (7)

For the study's full set of findings in Texas, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Ballotpedia Courts State Partisanship navigation ad.png Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

Strong Democrat
Mild Democrat
Indeterminate^[10]
Mild Republican
Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.^[11]

Texas had a Court Balance Score of 10.4, indicating Republican control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

Noteworthy cases

The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Texas Supreme Court. For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

• A third-party informant is enough to obtain a warrant, Texas high court rules (2013)

Click for summary→

Police officers in Texas may now acquire search warrants "based on predictions of the commission of future crimes," wrote a dissenting judge in an opinion from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.^[12]

The court's December 11, 2013 ruling closed a case that began in the summer of 2010, when Parker County police walked into the home of Mark Wehrenberg without a warrant and arrested him and his associates. The police, having received a confidential tip that Wehrenberg planned to cook methamphetamine, had staked out the home for a month prior to making the arrests.^[12]

The police sought a warrant after arresting Wehrenberg to confiscate the meth-making supplies, which included ammonia, rock salt, stripped lithium batteries, clear tubing, funnels, and boxes of pseudoephedrine. On the warrant application, the police neglected to mention that they had entered Wehrenberg's home before receiving authorization to do so, noting only the testimony of the confidential informant.^[12]

During Wehrenberg's trial, his lawyer asserted that the material evidence was invalid because it was found during an illegal search. The trial court judge overruled this claim, citing a federal independent source doctrine that validates such evidence when a third party has informed police about it beforehand. Wehrenberg was sentenced to five years in prison, pleading guilty to possession and intent to manufacture.^[12]

Upon appeal, the Second District Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, but the December 2013 decision by the high court allowed the original ruling to stand. Republican Judge Elsa Alcala penned the majority opinion, which cited federal precedent. The opinion explained that the illegally obtained evidence, normally not admissible in court, may be admitted through the independent source doctrine because it was later obtained lawfully.^[12]

To read the full opinion click here.

Judge Lawrence Meyers, the only dissenter, reasoned that the police only applied for the warrant because they had previously entered the house and seen the evidence, writing that the third-party tip was functionally a prediction and not a confirmation.^[12]

To read the full dissent click here.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court

This section focuses on cases the U.S. Supreme Court heard that originated in this court. To suggest cases we should cover here, email us.

2025-2026 term

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2025-2026

The following case is scheduled for argument before the U.S. Supreme Court during the 2025-2026 term.

2025-2026 Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Case	Opinion author	Decision	Vote
Villarreal v. Texas	TBA	TBA	TBA

Ethics

The Texas Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Texas. It consists of eight overarching canons:

Canon 1: Upholding the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary
Canon 2: Avoiding Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All of the Judge’s Activities
Canon 3: Performing the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently
Canon 4: Conducting the Judge's Extra-Judicial Activities to Minimize the Risk of Conflict with Judicial Obligations
Canon 5: Refraining from Inappropriate Political Activity
Canon 6: Compliance with the Code of Judicial Conduct
Canon 7: Effective Date of Compliance
Canon 8: Construction and Terminology of the Code^[13]

The full text of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Court of Appeals judges in Texas may be removed in one of three ways:

Removal or retirement by a review tribunal upon a Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct recommendation to the Supreme Court. The Commission investigates and, if warranted, prosecutes allegations of judicial misconduct. After a Commission recommendation, the Supreme Court selects a review tribunal made up of Court of Appeals judges to verify the Commission's findings and enter a judgment. Decisions are subject to appeal to the Supreme Court.
By the governor on the address of two thirds of the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives.
By a two-thirds vote of the Senate, upon impeachment by a majority vote of the House.

History of the court

The Texas Constitution of 1876 alleviated the heavy civil caseload of the Supreme Court of Texas. Article V of the constitution established a three judge court of appeals to hear all appellate criminal cases. In 1891, Texas voters approved an amendment to keep the Supreme Court and established the Court of Civil Appeals. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals was the state's highest criminal court, and its three judges were elected to six-year terms. In 1978, a constitutional amendment increased the size of the Court of Criminal Appeals to nine judges.^[14]

Former justices

Name:	Dates served:
All former justices of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals:^[15]	click for list →
Michael Keasler	1999-2020
Tom Price	1996-2014
Michael Jerry McCormick	1981-2000
Bill Marvin White	1985-1997
Samuel Houston Clinton, Jr.	1979-1996
Charles Frankin ("Chuck") Campbell	1983-1994
Charles Edward ("Chuck") Miller	1983-1994
Marvin Odell Teague	1981-1991
W. C. ("Bill") Davis	1978-1990
John Frank ("Jack") Onion, Jr.	1967-1988
Thomas Gilmer Davis	1977-1987
Wendell Albert Odom	1971-1984
Carl E. F. Dally	1978-1983
Truman Ernest Roberts	1971-1982
William T. Phillips	1976-1980
Leon Burr Douglas	1969-1980
Jim D. Vollers	1978
Thurman Morris Gupton	1976
William Arthur Morrison	1951-1976
Ernest Walter Belcher	1967-1970
Kenneth Koch Woodley	1953-1970
Meade Felix Griffin	1949-1969
James Wesley Dice, Jr.	1967-1968
William Thomas McDonald, Sr.	1960-1966
Lloyd Witten Davidson	1955-1961
Harry Newton Graves	1937-1955
Tom L. Beauchamp	1939-1953
Frank Lee Hawkins	1921-1951
Wright Chalfant Morrow	1917-1939
Offa Shivers Lattimore	1919-1937
William Lewis Davidson	1891-1921
Albert Collins Prendergast	1911-1918
Alfred John Harper	1911-1917
William Franklin Ramsey	1907-1912
Felix Johnson McCord	1910-1911
MiCahah Madison Brooks	1899-1910
John Nathaniel Henderson	1894-1907
James Mann Hurt	1880-1898
John Preston White	1876-1892
Samuel A. Willson	1882-1891
Clinton McKamy Winkler	1876-1882
George W. Clark	1879-1880
Mathew Duncan Ector	1876-1879

Courts in Texas

See also: Courts in Texas

In Texas, there are four federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Texas' state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Texas' state court system.

Partisan control of Texas state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Texas has a Republican trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

External links

Texas Judicial Branch, "Texas Court of Criminal Appeals"

Footnotes

↑ This is the base salary, which may increase with years of service or if you hold the position of chief judge.
↑ Texas Judicial Branch, "About the Court," accessed September 25, 2019
↑ Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Texas Constitution," accessed March 30, 2014
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TXgeneral
↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
↑ While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to remain on the court until their terms expire.
↑ Off the Kuff, "You really have to plan for every election," November 10, 2019
↑ Texas Courts Online, "Annual Reports," accessed September 27, 2024
↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
↑ The Court Balance Score is calculated by finding the average partisan Confidence Score of all justices on a state supreme court. For example, if a state has justices on the state supreme court with Confidence Scores of 4, -2, 2, 14, -2, 3, and 4, the Court Balance is the average of those scores: 3.3. Therefore, the Confidence Score on the court is Mild Republican. The use of positive and negative numbers in presenting both Confidence Scores and Court Balance Scores should not be understood to that either a Republican or Democratic score is positive or negative. The numerical values represent their distance from zero, not whether one score is better or worse than another.
↑ ^12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 ^12.4 ^12.5 Dallas Observer, "Judge: In Texas, Search Warrants Can Now Be Based on a 'Prediction of a Future Crime'," archived December 20, 2013
↑ Texas Judicial Branch, "Texas Code of Judicial Conduct," amended September 1, 2024
↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Texas Court of Criminal Appeals," accessed October 22, 2014
↑ Tarlton Law Library, "Justices of Texas 1836-1986," archived March 10, 2015

Texas courts

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

v • e

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Judicial selection in Texas • 2024 elections • Texas Supreme Court • Courts in Texas

Current judges

Lee Finley, Mary Lou Keel, Jesse McClure, David Newell, Gina Parker, Bert Richardson, David Schenck, Scott Walker, Kevin Patrick Yeary

Former judges

Elsa Alcala, Cathy Cochran, Barbara Hervey, Cheryl Johnson, Michael Keasler, Sharon Keller, Sharon Keller, Lawrence Meyers, Morris Overstreet, Tom Price, Michelle Slaughter, Paul Womack

[1] This is the base salary, which may increase with years of service or if you hold the position of chief judge.

[2] Texas Judicial Branch, "About the Court," accessed September 25, 2019

[tx-3] Texas Constitution and Statutes, "Texas Constitution," accessed March 30, 2014

[quotedisclaimer-4] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[TXgeneral-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TXgeneral

[hist-6] Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014

[7] While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to remain on the court until their terms expire.

[8] Off the Kuff, "You really have to plan for every election," November 10, 2019

[9] Texas Courts Online, "Annual Reports," accessed September 27, 2024

[10] An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.

[11] The Court Balance Score is calculated by finding the average partisan Confidence Score of all justices on a state supreme court. For example, if a state has justices on the state supreme court with Confidence Scores of 4, -2, 2, 14, -2, 3, and 4, the Court Balance is the average of those scores: 3.3. Therefore, the Confidence Score on the court is Mild Republican. The use of positive and negative numbers in presenting both Confidence Scores and Court Balance Scores should not be understood to that either a Republican or Democratic score is positive or negative. The numerical values represent their distance from zero, not whether one score is better or worse than another.

[dallas-12] 12.0 ^12.1 ^12.2 ^12.3 ^12.4 ^12.5 Dallas Observer, "Judge: In Texas, Search Warrants Can Now Be Based on a 'Prediction of a Future Crime'," archived December 20, 2013

[13] Texas Judicial Branch, "Texas Code of Judicial Conduct," amended September 1, 2024

[14] Texas State Historical Association, "Texas Court of Criminal Appeals," accessed October 22, 2014

[15] Tarlton Law Library, "Justices of Texas 1836-1986," archived March 10, 2015

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