Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals

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The Texas Tenth Court of Appeals is one of 15 intermediate appellate courts in Texas. The court serves the Waco, Texas, area.

Published opinions of the Tenth District Court of Appeals can be found here.

 

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	3
Salary:	Associates: $192,500
Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	6 years

Jurisdiction

The Tenth District Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction over appeals arising from district and county courts in 18 counties:

• Bosque
• Brazos
• Burleson
• Coryell
• Ellis
• Falls
• Freestone
• Hamilton
• Hill
• Johnson
• Leon
• Limestone
• Madison
• McLennan
• Navarro
• Robertson
• Somervell
• Walker

Judges

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Matt Johnson	January 1, 2025 - Present
Lee Harris	January 6, 2025 - Present	Greg Abbott
Steve L. Smith	September 1, 2021 - Present	Greg Abbott

Salary

See also: Texas court salaries and budgets

In 2025, associate judges serving on the Texas District Courts of Appeals in districts 1 through 14 received a base salary of $192,500, according to the Office of Court Administration. Judges on the Fifteenth District Court of Appeals earned a base salary of $205,000.

Judicial selection

See also: Partisan election of judges and Judicial selection in Texas

The justices of the Texas Court of Appeals are selected in district level partisan elections. The elected justices serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court.

Qualifications

To serve on the Texas Court of Appeals, a justice must be:

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

Chief justice

The chief justice of each district court is selected by voters at large. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.

Vacancies

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.

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2030

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2028

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Incumbent Lee Harris (R) is running in the Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Lee Harris

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Matt Johnson (R) won election in the general election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Matt Johnson (R)	100.0	408,449

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 408,449
= 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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 5, 2024, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Matt Johnson (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Matt Johnson	100.0	115,824

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 115,824
= 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.

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

General election

The general election scheduled for November 8, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Steve L. Smith (R) won election in the special general election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 without appearing on the ballot.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 1, 2022, was canceled.

Republican primary

Special Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Incumbent Steve L. Smith (R) advanced from the special Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Steve L. Smith	100.0	96,556

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 96,556
= 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.

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2

General election

General election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Matt Johnson (R) won election in the general election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Matt Johnson (R)	100.0	397,639

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 397,639
= 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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2020, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Matt Johnson (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Matt Johnson	100.0	118,046

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 118,046
= 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.

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

General election

General election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Incumbent John Neill (R) won election in the general election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Neill (R)	100.0	394,964

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 394,964
= 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.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2020, was canceled.

Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Incumbent John Neill (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Neill	100.0	117,091

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 117,091
= 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.

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

General election

General election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Incumbent Thomas Gray (R) won election in the general election for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Gray (R)	100.0	278,273

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 278,273
= 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

Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Incumbent Thomas Gray (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Thomas Gray

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Previous election results

2016

Main article: Texas judicial elections, 2016

Candidates

Place 3

■ Al Scoggins (R) (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Election results

November 8 general election

Incumbent Al Scoggins ran unopposed in the general election for the Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals, Place 3.

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals, Place 3, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Al Scoggins Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	303,579
Total Votes (100% reporting)				303,579
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

March 1 primary election

Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Al Scoggins Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	120,061
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				120,061
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

2014

Unopposed	Judge Rex Davis (Place 2)

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Place	Primary Vote	Election Vote
GrayThomas Gray   A	Yes	Republican	Place 1	53%A	100%   A

2010

Appellate Court, Place	Candidates	Details	Results
Tenth District, Place 3	(R): Al Scoggins	Felipe Reyna was up for re-election.	Al Scoggins

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

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

Below are some key highlights in the court's history:

• Texas appeals courts were established by amendment to the Texas Constitution in 1891.

• The Texas Legislature authorized courts of civil appeals to issue writs of mandamus and all other writs necessary to enforce their jurisdiction in 1892.

• The Texas State Legislature created the Tenth District Court of Appeals (then called the Court of Civil Appeals for the Tenth Supreme Judicial District) in 1923.

• Associate justices James M. Robertson of Meridian and G. W. Barcus of Waco constituted the first court.

• The Court held its first regular session on the fourth floor of the McLennan County Courthouse at 10:00 a.m. on June 30, 1923.

• The court's jurisdiction originally included "twelve counties: Bosque, Brazos, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, and Robertson. The Legislature added Johnson, Navarro, Somervell, and Hood Counties in 1927; removed Hood County in 1929; added Ellis County in 1932; and added Burleson and Walker Counties in 2005."

• Texas Governor Pat Neff appointed J. N. Gallagher the court's first chief justice. He was sworn in on November 1, 1923.

• Chief Justice Tom Gray was appointed to his current position by Governor Rick Perry on December 4, 2003.

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.

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...

External links

• Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals

Footnotes

Texas courts

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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