By Annaleise Parsons | Contributor
The Texas Supreme Court remains Republican with the Texas 10th Court of Appeals seats, the 19th and 54th Judicial Districts judges and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals elected majority Republican.
The Texas Supreme Court is the highest court in Texas and the last resort for criminal appeals in the state. The Court also controls the State Bar of Texas and licenses Texas attorneys.
Current Republican Chief Justice Nathan Hecht won reelection for the Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice with 62.12% of the vote over Amy Clark Meachum.
Republican Jane Bland won Texas Supreme Court Justice 6 with 64.9% of the vote over Kathy Cheng. Bland ran for election for the seat she was appointed to in 2019 by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Jeff Boyd ran for reelection on the Texas Supreme Court against Staci Williams and William Bryan Strange III. Boyd, a Republican, won Texas Supreme Court Justice 7 with 63.07% of the vote.
Brett Busby won Texas Supreme Court Justice 8 with 63.2% of the vote. Busby, a Republican, ran for his first term after being appointed by Greg Abbott in 2019. Both Gisela D. Triana and Tom Oxford trailed behind Busby by a large margin.
The Texas Tenth Court Appeals Justices are all Republican. These judges handle approximately 400 criminal and civil appeals a year from 18 different counties, including Waco.
Republican Matt Johnson won Texas Tenth Court of Appeals Justice 2 with 100% of the vote unopposed. Johnson is the current judge for the 54th Judicial District on his fourth term, has 29 years of trial experience, and is from Waco.
Republican John E. Neill, won Texas Tenth Court of Appeals Justice 3 with 100% of the vote unopposed. Neill was appointed to his seat by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2019 and is a Baylor alumnus.
Republican Thomas West won district judge for the 19th Judicial District without opposition with 100% of the vote. This will be his first four-year term.
“I am humbled and honored to be elected by the citizens of McLennan County to be the next Judge of the 19th District Court,” West said.
The 19th District Court handles felony law matters.
Republican Gary Coley Jr. won district judge in the 74th Judicial District with 100% of the vote. This is his third time running without opposition and will be his third term as district judge. The 74th Judicial District court handles Child Protective Service cases, family law and civil trials.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest court of criminal cases in the state. There is a presiding judge and eight judges.
Bert Richardson won Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Place 3 with 63.75% of the vote over Democrat Elizabeth Davis Ferrell. Richardson, Republican, is running for reelection for his seat.
Kevin Patrick Yeary won Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Place 4 with 64.52% of the vote over Democrat Tina Clinton. Yeary, Republican, ran for his second term as Justice. His judicial philosophy, published on his campaign website, is that “the Judiciary must be fiercely independent, but also cautious in the exercise of its immense power.”
Current Judge David Newell won Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge 9 with 64.91% of the vote over Brandon Brimingham. This is his second term.
Numbers were updated as of 10:26 p.m.
