During the primary, Texans will be asked to vote for judicial placements in a variety of courts statewide. The judicial races are partisan, with the primary party nominees moving on to the November general election.
There is a hierarchy to the Texas court system. At the top are the Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Texas Supreme Court is the final appellate jurisdiction in civil and juvenile cases, while the Court of Criminal Appeals is the final appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases.
Below the top two courts are the Court of Appeals, followed by four trial courts: District Courts, County Courts, Justice of the Peace Courts, and Municipal Courts.
Texas Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in the state for non-criminal, civil, and juvenile matters, and it sits in Austin. The Texas Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and eight other justices, elected in partisan elections and serving six-year terms. This year, justices in places 1, 2, 7 and 8 are up for reelection.
Chief Justice, Supreme Court (Democrat)
Maggie Ellis | Cory L. Carlyle
Chief Justice, Supreme Court (Republican)
Jimmy Blacklock | Unopposed
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2 unexpired term (Democrat)
Chari Kelly | Unopposed
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2, Unexpired Term (Republican)
James P. Sullivan | Unopposed
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7 (Democrat)
Gordon Goodman | Kristen Hawkins
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 7 (Republican)
Kyle Hawkins | Unopposed
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8 (Democrat)
Gisela D. Triana | Unopposed
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8 (Republican)
Brett Busby | Unopposed
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest court for criminal cases and sits in Austin near the Capitol. The court is made up of nine judges, including a presiding judge and eight other judges, who are elected statewide in partisan elections every six years. Because they are elected statewide, the places (Place 2, Place 3, etc.) are not based on a geographic location. This year, Places 3, 4 and 9 are up for election.
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3 (Democrat)
Okey Anviam | Unopposed
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3 (Republican)
Leslie Fitzpatrick | Alison Fox | Thomas Smith | Brent Coffee
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4 (Democrat)
Audra Riley | Unopposed
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4 (Republican)
Kevin Patrick Yeary | Unopposed
Judge, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9 (Democrat)
Holly Taylor | Unopposed
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9 (Republican)
Jennifer Balido | John Messinger
Texas Court of Appeals
Texas has 15 courts of appeals with intermediate appellate jurisdiction. The 1st through 14th courts have geographic jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases appealed from district or county courts. The 15th Court of Appeals has statewide civil intermediate appellate jurisdiction and exclusive intermediate appellate jurisdiction over civil appeals against the state, state agencies, or a state university system. Each court has a chief justice and at least two other justices, giving each court between three and 13 justices.
Justice, Texas 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 2 (Republican) (Denton County)
Chris Taylor | Unopposed
Justice, Texas 2nd Court of Appeals District, Place 7 (Republican) (Denton County)
Brian Walker | Unopposed
Justice, Texas 5th Court of Appeals District Place 3 (Democrat) (Collin County) (Dallas County)
Amanda Reichek | Unopposed
Justice, Texas 5th Court of Appeals District Place 3 (Republican) (Collin County)
Matthew Kolodoski | Unopposed
Justice, Texas 5th Court of Appeals District Place 6 (Democrat) (Collin County)
Monica Purdy | Unopposed
Justice, Texas 5th Court of Appeals District Place 6 (Republican) (Collin County)
Ben Smith | Unopposed
Justice, Texas 5th Court of Appeals District Place 8 (Democrat) (Collin County)
Andrea D. Plumlee | Nicholas D. Palmer
Justice, Texas 5th Court of Appeals District Place 8 (Republican) (Collin County)
Ashley Wysocki | Unopposed
Texas’s 15th Court of Appeals
The 15th Court of Appeals was created in 2023 and became effective on Sept. 1, 2024. The court will ultimately consist of a chief justice and four justices, but SB1045 states it will consist of a chief justice and two justices for the first three years following its creation. That’s why there is only a chief justice and two justices on the ballot. Place 4 will be effective Sept. 1, 2028, and Place 5 will be effective Sept. 1, 2029; both will appear on the 2030 general election ballot.
Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals District (Democrat)
Jerry Zimmerer | Unopposed
Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals District (Republican)
Scott Brister | Unopposed
Justice, 15th Court of Appeals District Place 2 (Democrat)
Tom Baker | Unopposed
Justice, 15th Court of Appeals District Place 2 (Republican)
Scott K. Field | Unopposed
Justice, 15th Court of Appeals District Place 3 (Democrat)
Marc M. Meyer | Unopposed
Justice, 15th Court of Appeals District Place 3 (Republican)
April Farris | Unopposed
District Courts and County Criminal District Courts
District judges in Texas preside over felony criminal cases and major civil and family law cases. District judges are elected locally in partisan elections. Party nominees who win the primary meet in the general election in November, with the winner elected to a four-year term to represent that judicial district. There are hundreds of district courts across the state, including 32 in Dallas County, 24 in Tarrant County, 15 in Collin County and 12 in Denton County. A map of the courts’ jurisdiction area can be found at txcourts.gov. County Criminal Courts have the same jurisdiction as District Courts and hear felony criminal cases.
District Judge, 44th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Veretta Frazier | Unopposed
District Judge, 68th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Martin Hoffman | Unoppose
District Judge, 101st Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Staci Williams | Unopposed
District Judge, 116th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Tonya Parker | Unopposed
District Judge, 134th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Dale Tillery | Unopposed
District Judge, 141st Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
John P. Chupp | Unopposed
District Judge, 158th Judicial District (Republican) (Denton County)
Steve Burgess | Unopposed
District Judge, 160th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Aiesha Redmond | Unopposed
District Judge, 191st Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Gena Slaughter | Elizabeth Ginsberg
District Judge, 192nd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Maria Aceves | Unopposed
District Judge, 193rd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Bridgett Whitmore | Unopposed
District Judge, 194th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Desmond (Dez) Cooks | Kim Cooks | Peggy Hoffman
District Judge, 195th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Etta Jeanette Mullin | Hector Garza
District Judge, 203rd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Raquel “Rocky” Jones | Unopposed
District Judge, 204th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Tammy Kemp | Unopposed
District Judge, 211th Judicial District (Republican) (Denton County)
Brent Brody Shanklin | Unopposed
District Judge, 219th Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Jennifer Edgeworth | Unopposed
District Judge, 236th Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Katherine ‘Kate’ Kim | Unopposed
District Judge, 236th Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Dusty Fillmore | Unopposed
District Judge, 254th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Kim Brown | Unopposed
District Judge, 255th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Vonda Bailey | Unopposed
District Judge, 256th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Heather Nicole Johnson | Sandre Streete
District Judge, 265th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Jennifer Bennett | Unopposed
District Judge, 282nd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Alison Grinter Allen | Jeneba Barrie
District Judge, 283rd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Lela Lawrence Mays | Unopposed
District Judge, 291st Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Stephanie N Mitchell Huff | Unopposed
District Judge, 292nd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Brandon Birmingham | Unopposed
District Judge, 296th Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Piper McCraw | Unopposed
District Judge, 297th Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Fred Howey | Unopposed
District Judge, 297th Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Amy Allin | Unopposed
District Judge, 298th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Ashley Smith | Tracie Shelby Williams
District Judge, 298th Judicial District (Republican) (Dallas County)
Clark B. Will | Unopposed
District Judge, 363rd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Cynthia Garza | Idris Akinpelu
District Judge, 366th Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Tom Nowak | Unopposed
District Judge, 367th Judicial District (Republican) (Denton County)
Brent Hill | Unopposed
District Judge, 371st Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
MarQuetta ‘MarQ’ Clayton | Unopposed
District Judge, 371st Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Ryan Hill | Unopposed
District Judge, 372nd Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Julie Lugo | Unopposed
District Judge, 417th Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Cyndi McCrann Wheless | Unopposed
District Judge, 429th Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Jill Willis | Unopposed
District Judge, 432nd Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Courtney Miller | Unopposed
District Judge, 432nd Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Lee Sorrells | Unopposed
District Judge, 467th Judicial District (Republican) (Denton County)
Derbha Jones | Unopposed
District Judge, 471st Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Bryan Gantt | Unopposed
District Judge, 477th Judicial District (Republican) (Denton County)
Michael Dickens | Unopposed
District Judge, 481st Judicial District (Republican) (Denton County)
Crystal Edmonson Levonius | Unopposed
District Judge, 485th Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Steven Jumes | Unopposed
District Judge, 494th Judicial District (Republican) (Collin County)
Kathryn Pruitt | Unopposed
Dallas County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 1 (Democrat)
Lia Reshae Polk | Stephanie Hudson
Dallas County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 5 (Democrat)
Mareen Alexander | Lakesha Smith | Alyssa J. Patterson
Dallas County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 6 (Democrat)
Nancy Mulder | Unopposed
Dallas County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 7 (Democrat)
Chika Anyiam | Unopposed
Tarrant County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 1 (Democrat)
Cindy Stormer | Unopposed
Tarrant County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 1 (Republican)
Sherri Wagner | Unopposed
Tarrant County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 3 (Republican)
Douglas Allen | Unopposed
Tarrant County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 4 (Democrat)
John Brender | Unopposed
Tarrant County Criminal District Judge, Court No. 4 (Republican)
Andy Porter | Unopposed
Family District Courts
Family district courts are intermediate courts within the district-level court system.
Family District Judge, 231st Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Lyndsay Newell | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 231st Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Leslie Barrows | Norma A. Bazan | Rashell Fetty | Debbie Adame
Family District Judge, 233rd Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Kenneth E. Newell | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 301st Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Danielle Clark | Twana Allen
Family District Judge, 302nd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Desiree Marie Bedasa | Sandra Jackson
Family District Judge, 303rd Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
LaDeitra Adkins | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 304th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Andrea Martin | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 305th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Cheryl Lee Shannon | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 322nd Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
James B. Munford | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 323rd Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Brian Willett | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 323rd Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Alex Kim | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 324th Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Crystal Gayden | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 324th Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Andy Hsu | Katherine Allen
Family District Judge, 325th Judicial District (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Andy Griffin | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 325th Judicial District (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Cynthia Terry | Unopposed
Family District Judge, 330th Judicial District (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Ashlei Gradney | Tamika Jones
County Courts
County Courts at Law are trial courts that handle smaller, less complex civil cases and Class A&B misdemeanor cases. County Courts at Law can hear appeals from justices of the peace and municipal courts. County Criminal Courts have the same jurisdiction as District Courts and hear adult felony cases.
Collin County
Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 1 (Republican)
Corinne Mason | Unopposed
Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 3 (Republican)
Lance S. Baxter | Unopposed
Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 4 (Republican)
David Rippel | Unopposed
Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 5 (Republican)
Randy Johnson | Unopposed
Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 6 (Republican)
Jay A. Bender | Unopposed
Judge, Collin County Court at Law No. 7 (Republican)
David Waddill | Unopposed
Judge, Collin County Probate Court (Republican)
Sarah R. Duff | Unopposed
Dallas County
Judge, Dallas County Court at Law No. 1 (Democrat)
Erin Nowell | D’Metria Benson
Judge, Dallas County Court at Law No. 2 (Democrat)
Melissa J. Bellan | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Court at Law No. 3 (Democrat)
Sally Montgomery | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Court at Law No. 4 (Democrat)
Dianne Jones | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Court at Law No. 5 (Democrat)
Nicole Taylor | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 1 (Democrat)
Tifanee Baker | Marilynn Mayse
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 2 (Democrat)
Julia Hayes | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 3 (Democrat)
Audrey Faye Moorehead | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 4 (Democrat)
Dominique Torres Williams | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 5 (Democrat)
Lisa Green | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 6 (Democrat)
Teresa Hawthorne | Angela M King
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 7 (Democrat)
Remeko Tranisha Edwards | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 8 (Democrat)
Carmen White | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 9 (Democrat)
Carrie Singleton | Priscilla Villarreal
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 10 (Democrat)
Monique J Bracey Huff | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court. No. 11 (Democrat)
Shequitta D Kelly | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court of Appeals, No. 1 (Democrat)
Oni Ann Groves | Alexandra Guio
Judge, Dallas County Criminal Court of Appeals, No. 2 (Democrat)
Cheryl Williams | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Probate Court No. 1 (Democrat)
Julia Malveaux | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Probate Court No. 2 (Democrat)
Ingrid Michelle Warren | Unopposed
Judge, Dallas County Probate Court No. 3 (Democrat)
Margaret Jones-Johnson | Unopposed
Denton County
Judge, Denton County Court at Law No. 1 (Republican)
Kimberly McCary | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Court at Law No. 2 (Republican)
Robert Ramirez | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Criminal Court at Law No. 1 (Republican)
Lauri Ragland | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Criminal Court at Law No. 2 (Republican)
Susan Piel | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Criminal Court at Law No. 3 (Republican)
Forrest C. Beadle | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Criminal Court at Law No. 4 (Republican)
Chance Oliver | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Criminal Court at Law No. 5 (Republican)
Coby Waddill | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Probate Court No. 1 (Republican)
David Jahn | Unopposed
Judge, Denton County Probate Court No. 2 (Republican)
Christopher J. Everett | Unopposed
Tarrant County
Judge, Tarrant County Court at Law No. 1 (Republican)
Don Pierson | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Court at Law No. 2 (Republican)
Jennifer Rymell | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Court at Law No. 3 (Republican)
Mike Hrabel | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 1 (Republican)
David Cook | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 2 (Republican)
Carey Walker | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 3 (Republican)
Bob McCoy | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 4 (Republican)
Deborah Nekhom | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 5 (Democrat)
Julya ‘JujuBill’ Billhymer | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 5 (Republican)
Brad Clark | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 6 (Republican)
Randi Hartin | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 7 (Republican)
Eric Starnes | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 8 (Republican)
Charles L. ‘Chuck’ Vanover | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 9 (Democrat)
Lesa Pamplin | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 9 (Republican)
Brian Bolton | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Criminal Court, No. 10 (Republican)
Trent Loftin | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Probate Court, No 1 (Republican)
Patricia Burns | Unopposed
Judge, Tarrant County Probate Court, No 2 (Republican)
Brook Bell | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace
Justices of the Peace hear small civil claims and debt cases under $20,000, evictions, and Class C misdemeanor cases, such as traffic tickets or minor alcohol violations.
Collin County
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1 (Republican) (Collin County)
Paul M. Raleeh | C.D. Mayfield
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2 (Democrat) (Collin County)
Darsell E. Johnson | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2 (Republican) (Collin County)
Ellen Kinnebrew | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3 (Democrat) (Collin County)
Irvin Lynn Barrett | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3 (Republican) (Collin County)
Danielle Sposito | Mike Missildine
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4 (Democrat) (Collin County)
Eli Worthy | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4 (Republican) (Collin County)
Randy Farrar | Stephen Kallas | Vincent Venegoni
Dallas County
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1, Place 1 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Thomas G. Jones | Brandon J. Vance | Dianne Gibson
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1, Place 1 (Republican) (Dallas County)
Lizbeth Diaz | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1, Place 2 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Valencia Nash | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2, Place 1 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Margaret O’Brien | Christina Whitfield-Sowells
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2, Place 1 (Republican) (Dallas County)
Vickie Whiteside | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2, Place 2 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Antoinette N. Harris | Katina Whitfield
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3, Place 1 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Adam M. Swartz | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3, Place 1 (Republican) (Dallas County)
Lynn A. Benedetto
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3, Place 2 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Zachariah Manning | Paula M. Rosales
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3, Place 2 (Republican) (Dallas County)
Michael L. Gellar
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4, Place 1 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Mike Jones | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4, Place 1 (Republican) (Dallas County)
Fred Van Liew | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4, Place 2 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Dareia Jacobs | Sasha Moreno
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 5, Place 1 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Sara Martinez | Nancy Thompson
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 5, Place 2 (Democrat) (Dallas County)
Richard (Rick) Lozano | Marcos Soto | Katelyn Logie | Omar Narvaez | Andre Turner
Denton County
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1 (Republican) (Denton County)
Steven Oliver | Alan Wheeler
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2 (Republican) (Denton County)
Martin Padeti | Chris Pochyla | Chelsie Adams
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3 (Republican) (Denton County)
DC Caldwell, I | James Kerbow
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4 (Republican) (Denton County)
Harris Hughey | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 5 (Republican) (Denton County)
Vince Handler | Derek Gurley
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 6 (Republican) (Denton County)
Blanca Oliver | Unopposed
Tarrant County
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1 (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Ricky Rodriguez | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2 (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Celina Vasquez | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 2 (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Mary Tom Cravens Curnutt | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 3 (Republican) (Tarrant County)
William P. ‘Bill’ Brandt | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4 (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Rodney Lee | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4 (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Christopher ‘Chris’ Gregory | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 5 (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Sergio L. De Leon | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 6 (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Jason M. Charbonnet | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 7 (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Kenneth D. Sanders | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 7 (Republican) (Tarrant County)
Paige Payne-Neal | Unopposed
Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 8 (Democrat) (Tarrant County)
Lisa Woodard | Unopposed
Early voting runs Feb. 17 to Feb. 27. Election Day is Tuesday, March 3. Should a runoff be necessary, a primary runoff will be held on May 26.