Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals

	Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals
	Court information
Judges:	7
Salary:	Associates: $192,500
	Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	6 years

The Texas Fourth Court of Appeals is one of 15 intermediate appellate courts in Texas. The court was created in 1893 out of territory taken from the First and Third courts of civil appeals.^[1]

The Fourth Court has intermediate appellate jurisdiction of both civil and criminal cases appealed from the lower courts. In civil cases, it has jurisdiction where judgment rendered exceeds $100, exclusive of costs, and other civil proceedings as provided by law. It has jurisdiction in criminal cases except in post-conviction writs of habeas corpus and in cases where the death penalty has been imposed.^[1]

The Fourth Court of Appeals is composed of seven justices. It covers 32 counties in South Texas and the Texas Hill Country.^[1]

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

Jurisdiction

The Fouth District Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction over appeals arising from district and county courts in 32 counties:

Current justices

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Adrian Spears	January 1, 2025 - Present
Lori I. Valenzuela	January 22, 2021 - Present	Greg Abbott
Velia Meza	January 1, 2025 - Present
Todd McCray	January 1, 2025 - Present
Lori Brissette	January 1, 2025 - Present
Rebeca Martinez	January 1, 2021 - Present
Irene Alarcon Rios	January 1, 2017 - Present

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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;*^[5]^[6] and
a practicing lawyer and/or judge for at least 10 years.^[4]

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.^[4]

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.^[4]

Elections

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

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

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Antonia Arteaga (D) and Velia Meza (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Antonia Arteaga
		Velia Meza

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Bert Richardson (R) is running in the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Bert Richardson

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Velia Meza (D) won election in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Velia Meza (D)	100.0	659,396

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 659,396
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Velia Meza (D) defeated incumbent Beth Watkins (D) in the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Velia Meza	52.2	61,117
	Beth Watkins	47.8	55,856

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 116,973
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

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

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Todd McCray (R) defeated Cynthia Marie Chapa (D) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Todd McCray (R)	51.3	561,713
	Submit photo	Cynthia Marie Chapa (D)	48.7	532,364

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,094,077
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Cynthia Marie Chapa (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Cynthia Marie Chapa	100.0	104,384

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,384
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Todd McCray (R) defeated Michael Ritter (R) in the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Todd McCray	55.0	83,019
	Michael Ritter	45.0	68,037

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 151,056
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Lori Brissette (R) defeated incumbent Luz Elena Chapa (D) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Lori Brissette (R)	51.9	567,689
	Luz Elena Chapa (D)	48.1	525,857

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,093,546
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Luz Elena Chapa (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Luz Elena Chapa	100.0	104,204

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,204
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Lori Brissette (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Brissette	100.0	141,277

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,277
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

Adrian Spears (R) defeated incumbent Liza Rodriguez (D) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Adrian Spears (R)	51.1	558,509
	Liza Rodriguez (D)	48.9	534,607

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,093,116
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

Incumbent Liza Rodriguez (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Liza Rodriguez	100.0	104,995

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,995
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

Adrian Spears (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adrian Spears	100.0	142,025

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 142,025
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Lori I. Valenzuela (R) won election in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Lori I. Valenzuela (R)	100.0	728,595

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 728,595
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

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

Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Lori I. Valenzuela (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Lori I. Valenzuela	100.0	140,621

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 140,621
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6

Incumbent Irene Alarcon Rios (D) defeated Todd McCray (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Irene Alarcon Rios (D)	50.6	410,773
		Todd McCray (R)	49.4	400,399

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 811,172
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6

Incumbent Irene Alarcon Rios (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Irene Alarcon Rios	100.0	129,445

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,445
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6

Todd McCray (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 6 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Todd McCray	100.0	129,604

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,604
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

General election

Special general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Lori I. Valenzuela (R) defeated Beckie Palomo (D) in the special general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Lori I. Valenzuela (R)	50.6	409,842
	Submit photo	Beckie Palomo (D)	49.4	400,505

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 810,347
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Special Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Beckie Palomo (D) advanced from the special Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Beckie Palomo	100.0	128,720

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 128,720
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Special Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Lori I. Valenzuela (R) advanced from the special Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Lori I. Valenzuela	100.0	127,986

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 127,986
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Rebeca Martinez (D) defeated Renee Yanta (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Rebeca Martinez (D)	52.7	592,716
		Renee Yanta (R)	47.3	532,769

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,125,485
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Rebeca Martinez (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Rebeca Martinez	100.0	220,215

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 220,215
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice

Renee Yanta (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Chief Justice on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Renee Yanta	100.0	134,271

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 134,271
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Beth Watkins (D) defeated incumbent Marialyn Barnard (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Beth Watkins (D)	52.0	429,521
	Marialyn Barnard (R)	48.0	396,458

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 825,9790
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Beth Watkins (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Beth Watkins

	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

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2

Incumbent Marialyn Barnard (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Marialyn Barnard

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Incumbent Patricia Alvarez (D) defeated Jason Pulliam (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Patricia Alvarez (D)	53.1	438,709
	Jason Pulliam (R)	46.9	388,009

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 826,7180
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Incumbent Patricia Alvarez (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Patricia Alvarez

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3

Jason Pulliam (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 3 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Jason Pulliam

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Luz Elena Chapa (D) defeated Patrick Ballantyne (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Luz Elena Chapa (D)	53.9	445,672
	Submit photo	Patrick Ballantyne (R)	46.1	381,319

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 826,9910
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Luz Elena Chapa (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Luz Elena Chapa

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Patrick Ballantyne (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Patrick Ballantyne

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

Liza Rodriguez (D) defeated Rebecca Simmons (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Liza Rodriguez (D)	52.4	433,796
	Rebecca Simmons (R)	47.6	393,321

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 827,1170
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

Liza Rodriguez (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Liza Rodriguez

	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

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5

Rebecca Simmons (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 5 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Rebecca Simmons

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Rebeca Martinez (D) defeated Shane Stolarczyk (R) in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Rebeca Martinez (D)	54.0	446,260
		Shane Stolarczyk (R)	46.0	380,905

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 827,1650
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Incumbent Rebeca Martinez (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Rebeca Martinez

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7

Shane Stolarczyk (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 7 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Shane Stolarczyk

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

2016

Main article: Texas judicial elections, 2016

Candidates

Place 6

■ Irene Rios (D)
■ Jason Pulliam (R) (Incumbent)

Election results

November 8 general election

Irene Alarcon Rios defeated incumbent Jason Pulliam in the general election for the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, Place 6.

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, Place 6, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Irene Alarcon Rios	51.73%	457,048
	Republican	Jason Pulliam Incumbent	48.27%	426,468
Total Votes (100% reporting)				883,516
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

March 1 primary election

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Irene Alarcon Rios (unopposed)	100.00%	142,369
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				142,369
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jason Pulliam Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	150,594
Total Votes (100% Reporting)				150,594
Source: Texas Secretary of State Official Results

2014

Chief Justice

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Primary Vote	Election Vote
RiosIrene Alarcon Rios	No	Democratic	100%A	44.5% D
MarionSandee Marion A	Yes	Republican	100%A	55.5% A

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Place	Primary Vote	Election Vote
GarzaBaldemar Garza	No	Democratic	Place 2	100%A	49.1% A
TowlerDavid D. Towler	No	Democratic	Place 5	100%A	47.9% A
AngeliniKaren Angelini A	Yes	Republican	Place 5	100%A	52.1% A
ChapaLuz Elena Chapa A	No	Democratic	Place 4	100%A	51.5% A
BarnardMarialyn Barnard A	Yes	Republican	Place 2	100%A	50.9% A
AlvarezPatricia Alvarez A	No	Democratic	Place 3	100%A	51% A
SpeedlinPhylis Speedlin	Yes	Republican	Place 7	100%A	48.1% A
MartinezRebeca Martinez A	No	Democratic	Place 7	61.1%A	51.9% A
SimmonsRebecca Simmons	Yes	Republican	Place 5	100%A	49% A
HilbigSteve Hilbig	Yes	Republican		100%A	48.5% A

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^[7]

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:^[8]

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 Legislature created the Fourth District Court in 1893 out of territory acquired from the first and third courts.

The Fourth district originally encompassed 47 counties, but with the creation of the Thirteenth Court of Appeals, it now covers 32 counties.

In 1981, the court received criminal jurisdiction, and the number of justices on the court increased from three to seven.

The first chief justices appointed by Governor Hogg were Justice John J. James, Justice William Seat Fly and Justice H. H. Neill.

Justice William Seat Fly served on the court for 41 years.

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.^[9]

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

External links

Texas Fourth Court of Appeals

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals
↑ This is the base salary, which may increase with years of service or if you hold the position of chief judge. Judges on the Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals had a base salary of $205,000.
↑ Texas Courts, "Judicial salaries," accessed October 8, 2025
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014
↑ Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014
↑ While no justice older than 74 may run for office, sitting justices who turn 75 are permitted to remain on the court until their terms expire.
↑ Texas Judicial Branch, "Texas Code of Judicial Conduct," amended September 1, 2024
↑ Texas Fourth Court of Appeals, "History," accessed December 20, 2011
↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

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

[4th-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals

[2] This is the base salary, which may increase with years of service or if you hold the position of chief judge. Judges on the Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals had a base salary of $205,000.

[3] Texas Courts, "Judicial salaries," accessed October 8, 2025

[TXgeneral-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas," archived October 3, 2014

[hist-5] Texas State Historical Association, "Judiciary," accessed September 12, 2014

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

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

[8] Texas Fourth Court of Appeals, "History," accessed December 20, 2011

[9] The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

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Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals

Court information
Judges:	7
Salary:	Associates: $192,500^[2]
Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	6 years

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