Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback.
Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates with political experience or demonstrably competitive campaigns, using benchmarks such as fundraising, endorsements and online presence. For a full list of candidates, view our primary ballot page. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our guides and news coverage here.
About this seat: The Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest court for criminal cases. Besides appeals from lower courts, it also hears death penalty appeals directly from trial courts. In addition, it reviews habeas corpus petitions from anyone convicted of a state felony who wants to challenge the legality of their detention. The court includes one presiding judge and eight other judges, who are all elected statewide for six-year terms.
What’s at stake: The Court of Criminal Appeals gets most of its attention for decisions on high-profile death penalty cases, including most recently blocking Robert Roberson’s execution and moving his case back to trial court. The court also has been in the spotlight in recent years over its rulings that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office can’t unilaterally prosecute election cases, which prompted Paxton to wage a successful campaign in 2024 to oust three Republican judges who disagreed with him. The court then decided early last year to rehear an election wrongdoing case that it had previously thrown out. Overall, the nine-person panel has long been dominated by Republicans and there are currently no Democratic judges. This year, three seats are up for grabs. Only the Republican primaries for Place 3 and Place 9 have more than one candidate.
Place 3
Campaign photo
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Patty Fox, retired – $61,557.76, including in-kind donations
Susan Dahlberg, not employed – $10,000
The Reelect David Newell for Judge Campaign, affiliated with CCA Place 9 Judge David Newell but he is not running for reelection – $4,000.
Experience:
Staff attorney at the Courts of Criminal Appeals, including previous role in the court’s writs of habeas corpus division
Former director of the conviction integrity unit in Bexar County District Attorney’s Office
Former prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorney’s office
Former criminal appeals attorney in private practice
Political Ideology:
Fox is a Republican who says she’s running to defend the Constitution and protect the rule of law. An active member of the Catholic Church, she also says that “faith and justice go hand in hand — that our legal system is strongest when it reflects the moral truths rooted in Scripture.”
Endorsements:
Mark Lee Dickson, anti-abortion activist
Texas Right to Life PAC
Dallas Morning News Editorial Board and Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
In the news:
Campaign photo
Lesli Fitzpatrick
Republican
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
James Fitzpatrick, engineer – $6,369.34, including in-kind donations
Lavonne Frazier, retired – $1,860, including in-kind donation
Sue Devillez, retired – $1,750 in in-kind donations
Experience:
Director of special litigation for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of General Counsel
Former staff attorney for the Texas State Senate in the Office of Engrossing and Enrolling
Former staff attorney of the Texas General Land Office
Worked as both criminal prosecutor and defense attorney
Ran for the Texas Third District Court of Appeals, Place 4 in 2022, but lost in the general election.
Had an unsuccessful run in the Republican primary for Williamson County Court-at-Law No. 2 judge in 2016.
Political Ideology:
Fitzpatrick is a Republican who says she has a conservative judicial philosophy and rejects judicial activism, adding that “courts should not expand or invent rights beyond those clearly established in the Constitution or statute.”
Endorsements:
Campaign photo
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
David Gabbay, real estate – $5,000
Maya Gabbay, real estate – $5,000
Kenneth Clark, banking – $5,000
Experience:
Assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Office
Former counsel for Ken Paxton when he was a state senator
Former counsel in private practice
Political Ideology:
Smith is a Republican who says he’s running to keep “women and children safe in an increasingly dangerous culture.” He has also strongly touted his work with Attorney General Ken Paxton and the state Legislature, including on issues such as human trafficking and sanctuary city ban.
Endorsements:
Campaign photo
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Karan Clark, retired – $5,000
Kenda Coffee, retired – $2,000
Sam Coffee, retired – $2,000
Experience:
Assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Office
Former prosecutor in the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office
Former criminal defense attorney in private practice
Political Ideology:
Coffee attended the Ave Maria School of Law, which embraces a conservative Catholic orientation. He also says his approach to the legal system is influenced by conservative jurists like former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Campaign photo
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Brandy Voss, attorney – $131
Experience:
Criminal defense attorney in private practice
Political Ideology:
Anyiam is a Democrat who says he wants to “uphold the law without legislating from the bench, and apply the legislative intent unless it’s ambiguous.” He is married to Judge Chika Anyiam, who currently presides over Criminal District Court No. 7 in Dallas County and unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for a seat on the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2024.
Endorsements:
Liberal Austin Democrats
Austin Young Democrats
State Tejano Democrats
Place 4
Campaign photo
Kevin Yeary
Republican, incumbent
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Scott Retzloff, real estate and tax – $2,500
Butler Snow LLP, wide-ranging law firm – $1,000
Ruth Chambers, retired – $1,000
Experience:
Serves on the Court of Criminal Appeals for more than a decade, after being first elected in 2014.
Former appellate prosecutor for Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties
Former defense attorney in private practice
Former law clerk to a Texas Court of Criminal Appeal judge
Political Ideology:
Yeary is a Republican who says judges should avoid policy-making from the bench. He was the only judge out of the nine-person panel to vote against the 2021 ruling that says the Texas attorney general’s office can’t unilaterally prosecute election cases. He was also one of three judges to disagree with the court’s decision to block Robert Roberson’s execution based on the exoneration in another shaken baby case.
Endorsements:
In the news:
Campaign photo
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Experience:
Currently presides over Criminal District Court No. 3 in Dallas County, after first being elected to the judge role in 2020.
Former prosecutor in the Dallas County district attorney’s office
Former criminal defense attorney in private practice
Political Ideology:
Riley is running as a Democrat. When she ran for reelection to the Criminal District Court No. 3’s judge role in 2024, she said she wanted to continue bringing “justice, integrity, and a strong work ethic to the bench.”
Endorsements:
Liberal Austin Democrats
Austin Young Democrats
State Tejano Democrats
In the news:
Place 9
Campaign photo
John Messinger
Republican
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Steve Ledwell, equipment manufacturer – $5,000
Giselle Horton, retired – $1,041
Elyn Savage, executive assistant – $1,000
Experience:
Assistant state prosecuting attorney, representing the state in front of the Court of Criminal Appeals and immediate appellate courts
Worked in the McLennan County District Attorney’s office, handling direct appeals, protective orders and other civil matters
Ran for the Texas Third District Court of Appeals, Place 2 in 2024, but narrowly lost in the general election
Political Ideology:
Messinger is a Republican who says improvement to the justice system “doesn’t come from judges doing whatever they think is right in their own eyes” but from “enforcing the laws as written to find out what works and what doesn’t.” He also criticizes the Court of Criminal Appeals for issuing rulings that “ignore or conflict” with its own decisions and/or applicable law, as well as the average length it takes for the panel to review a lower court’s decision.
Endorsements:
True Texas Project
Young Conservatives of Texas
Various members of the State Republican Executive Committee
Campaign photo
Jennifer Balido
Republican
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Mark Gilbert, attorney – $5,000
Brent Goudarzi, attorney – $5,000
Shelly Folks, court reporter service – $5,000
Experience:
Currently presides over Criminal District Court No. 1 in Dallas County, after Gov. Greg Abbott appointed her to fill the vacant seat last year
Former chief of the appellate division in the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office
Former public criminal defense attorney
Former Gov. Rick Perry appointed Balido as judge in 203rd District Court in Dallas County in 2009 to fill a vacant seat, but she narrowly lost the election for a full term the following year
Perry also appointed her as judge in the 291st District Court in Dallas County in 2013, but she lost the 2014 general election for a full term
Political Ideology:
Balido is a Republican who says she’s running to “ensure Texans have a judge with proven courtroom experience that can always ensure justice is fairly served” and with “unwavering respect for the Constitution.”
Endorsements:
Gov. Greg Abbott
Texas Municipal Police Association and several other law enforcement groups
Dallas Morning News Editorial Board and Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
In the news:
Campaign photo
💰 Campaign finance:
💰 Major donors this cycle:
Francis Adair, retired – $5,000
Randall Sarosdy, attorney – $2,500
Sharon Taylor, not employed – $2,500
Experience:
Criminal and civil appeals attorney in private practice
Former director of the division of public integrity and complex crimes for the Travis County District Attorney’s office
Former rules attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Ran for the Court of Criminal Appeals’ presiding judge role in 2024, but lost in the general election
Political Ideology:
Taylor is a Democrat who says she will “bring an independent voice” to the Court of Criminal Appeals. She also says she’s “passionate about upholding the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and treating everyone with dignity and humanity.”
In the news:
Endorsements:
Texas AFL-CIO
State Tejano Democrats
Liberal Austin Democrats and several other local or young Democrat groups
Disclosure: Texas General Land Office has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.