Patty Maginnis[/caption]

Attorney Patty Maginnis has been appointed as judge of the 435th State District Court by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Abbott appointed Maginnis on April 6 to fill the vacant seat left following the resignation of former judge Mike Seiler. The seat was vacated on Feb. 16—when Seiler suspended his re-election campaign and resigned following allegations that he used confidential juror information to mail campaign literature.

The Republican primary race for the seat in March ended with Seiler and Maginnis receiving 42 and 41 percent of the vote, respectively, leading to a runoff. However, Seiler agreed to withdraw from the race as a part of his resignation.

The appointment expires during the November general election. However, she will appear on the general election ballot for voter approval, according to the Governor’s office. There is no democratic challenger for the position and Maginnis is unopposed during that race.

Maginnis is expected to be sworn in within the next few days.