This is the court that decides whether Texas got it right. When new evidence turns up years later — DNA, a witness who lied — a Judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals is who decides if the person walks free or stays in a cell. Your vote can help free the wrongly convicted while also protecting victims' families.
The Democratic candidate
Audra Riley
DemocratAbout Audra
In the State Bar's 2026 poll of Texas lawyers, Riley was the majority choice — beating the incumbent she's running against by 12 points.
Riley presides over Criminal District Court 3 in Dallas, where felony cases are tried; she was re-elected there without opposition in 2024. She earned her law degree at Texas Southern's Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2006.
Also on the ballot
Every candidate who filed for this office appears here. Tap a name to read more.
Kevin Patrick YearyAbout Kevin
He spent his career as a prosecutor in Dallas, Houston, and Bexar County — and has been on Texas's highest criminal court for over a decade.
Yeary earned his law degree from St. Mary's University and spent years as an assistant district attorney in Dallas, Harris, and Bexar counties before being first elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2014. He's seeking a third six-year term.
Where to vote
Hays County uses vote centers — any registered Hays County voter can vote at any open location in the county. Locations and hours by city: