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.^[1]

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;*^[2]^[3] and
a practicing lawyer and/or judge for at least 10 years.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

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

Elections

2024

See also: Texas Supreme Court elections, 2024

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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