Meanwhile, three Republican justices won reelection to the Texas Supreme Court. Both courts include only Republicans, and Democrats have not won a statewide office in Texas in 30 years.
Here are the winners in each statewide judicial race.
The details
Republicans David J. Schenck, Gina Parker and Lee Finley were elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Nov. 5. The nine-member court, located in Austin, handles appeals in death penalty cases and other high-profile criminal matters.
Schenck, a Dallas appellate attorney, won 58.32% of the vote for presiding judge, while Democrat Holly Taylor, a lawyer with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, received 41.68% of the vote.
Parker, a Waco attorney and business owner, garnered 58.44% of the vote for Place 7 on the appellate court. Her Democratic opponent, Dallas County district judge Nancy Mulder, collected 41.56% of the vote.
Finley, an attorney from Collin County, won 58.96% of the vote for Place 8 on the appellate court, beating Democrat Chika Anyiam, a Dallas County district judge. Anyiam received 41.04% of the vote.
Zooming in
Paxton targeted three judges—Sharon Keller, Barbara Parker Hervey and Michelle Slaughter—after the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled in 2021 that the attorney general’s office does not have constitutional authority to initiate voter fraud investigations. Keller, Hervey and Slaughter sided with the 8-1 majority in the voter fraud decision.
All three incumbents lost their Republican primaries March 5.
Paxton congratulated the newly-elected judges on social media late Nov. 5 and said he was proud to support them in their primaries. Schenck, Parker and Finley will “champion conservative values on the court,” he wrote.
The incoming judges will have a say in the fate of Robert Roberson, a death row inmate who was convicted of capital murder in 2003 for the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. The Texas Supreme Court issued a temporary stay halting Roberson’s death Oct. 17.
Roberson’s death warrant expired, meaning the Court of Criminal Appeals must set a new date. Texas law says execution dates must be set at least 90 days in advance, so Roberson will not face the death penalty until early 2025.
Other details
Republican justices Jimmy Blacklock, John Devine and Jane Bland all won reelection to the Texas Supreme Court, according to unofficial results. The nine-member court is the last resort for civil cases in Texas. It also has administrative control over the State Bar of Texas and licenses attorneys in the state.
Blacklock won with 58.32% of the vote for Place 2 on the court, while Democrat DaSean Jones, a Harris County district judge, received 41.68% of the vote.
Devine secured 57.42% of the vote for Place 4. His Democratic challenger, Harris County district judge Christine Vinh Weems, had 42.58% of the vote.
Bland won 56.36% of the vote for Place 6. Democrat Bonnie Lee Goldstein, a Dallas appellate judge, received 40.38% of the vote, while Libertarian J. David Roberson, an Austin tax attorney, collected 3.26% of the vote.
All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all state and local elections in your community.
