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Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of twenty-one Texas intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 31, 2026. The twenty-one seats are up for partisan election on November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 26, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for partisan election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
Texas First District Court of Appeals
■ Veronica Rivas-Molloy
■ David Gunn
Texas Second District Court of Appeals
Texas Third District Court of Appeals
Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals
Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals
■ Bonnie Lee Goldstein
■ Craig Smith
■ Dennise Garcia
Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals
Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals
Texas Ninth District Court of Appeals
Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals
Texas Eleventh District Court of Appeals
Texas Twelfth District Court of Appeals
Texas Thirteenth District Court of Appeals
Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals
■ Tracy E. Christopher
■ Ken Wise
Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals
■ April Farris
■ Scott Field
■ Scott Brister
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in Texas
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
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.[1]
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;*[2][3] and
- a practicing lawyer and/or judge for at least 10 years.[1]
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.[1]
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.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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.
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
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