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
Holly Taylor
DemocratAbout Holly
Taylor's job has been to find the people Texas locked up for crimes they didn't commit and get them out — she ran post-conviction work with Travis County's Conviction Integrity Unit. Before that she wrote the rules for the Court of Criminal Appeals itself, as its staff attorney. Now she wants a seat on it.
She's board-certified in criminal appeals, admitted to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, and ran the Travis County DA's public-integrity division, prosecuting corruption and fraud. When the State Bar polled Texas lawyers, she out-polled each of the Republicans in the race. Her opponent, John Messinger, won his primary with the backing of True Texas Project and has never been a judge. She and her husband John met playing in a band — she sang — and raised four kids in Austin public schools.
Also on the ballot
Every candidate who filed for this office appears here. Tap a name to read more.
John MessingerAbout John
Messinger is endorsed by True Texas Project — the far-right wing of the Texas GOP — and by Steve Hotze, who bankrolled a 2020 "voter fraud" hunt that ended with an innocent man run off the road at gunpoint.
Now Messinger, who sums up his philosophy in three words — "Justice Through Law Enforcement" — wants a seat on the court that decides whether a police search or a chase was legal and whether a conviction stands. He has never served as a judge; in the State Bar's 2026 poll, Texas lawyers preferred his opponent nearly two to one.
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: