Current Justices 2015 Membership Composition of Texas Courts of Appeals (Name and Place Designation)

jUSTICES OF THE TEXAS intermediate COURTS OF APPEALS AS OF FEBRUARY 2015 With linkS to each court’s website

The fourteen intermediate courts of appeals have a total membership of eighty justices, ranging from three for the smallest courts to 13 for the largest. Members of the courts of appeals are called justices. They share this title with the members of the two highest courts, the Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals, as well as with the judges on the lowest level of the judicial hierarchy, the Justices of the the Peace, JPs for short.

Justices on the courts of appeals serve six-year terms. There are two selection methods: election or appointment to a vacant position by the governor. Appointed justices must eventually submit to elections in order to remain on the court.

Vacancies occur as a result of death in office (rare) or resignation before a justice's term expires (quite common), or promotion of a sitting member to higher office, such as from associate justice* to chief justice (e.g., Justice Nathan L. Hecht, now Chief Justice Hecht), or promotion form a lower court to a higher one, e.g. appointment of a member of a Houston court of appeals to the Supreme Court (Justice Eva Guzman in 2009, Justice Jeff Brown in 2013), or to the Court of Criminal Appeals (e.g. Justice Elsa Alcala in 2011). 

First Court of Appeals IN HOUSTON  

Sherry Radack, Chief Justice| Justice Jane Bland, Place 2 | Justice Russell Lloyd, Place 3 | Justice Evelyn Keyes, Place 4 | Justice Laura Carter Higley, Place 5 | Justice Harvey G. Brown, Place 6 | Justice Terry Jennings, Place 7 | Justice Michael C. Massengale, Place 8 | Justice Rebeca A. Huddle, Place 9.  

Second Court of Appeals In Fort WORTH

Terrie Livingston, Chief Justice | Justice Bill Meier, Place 2 | Justice Anne Gardner, Place 3 | Justice Bonnie Sudderth, Place 4 | Justice Sue Walker, Place 5 | Justice Lee Ann Dauphinot, Place 6 | Justice Lee Gabriel, Place 7.

Third Court of Appeals IN AUSTIN

Jeff Rose, Chief Justice | Justice Cindy Bourland, Place 2 | Justice Scott Field, Place 3 | Justice Melissa Goodwin, Place 4 | Justice David Puryear, Place 5 | Justice Bob Pemberton, Place 6.

Fourth Court of Appeals IN SAN ANTONIO

Sandee Bryan Marion, Chief Justice | Justice Marialyn Barnard, Place 2 | Justice Patricia O. Alvarez, Place 3 | Justice Luz Elena D. Chapa, Place 4 | Justice Karen Angelini, Place 5 | Justice Jason Pulliam, Place 6 | Justice Rebeca C. Martinez, Place 7.

Fifth Court of Appeals IN DALLAS

Carolyn Wright, Chief Justice | Justice David Evans, Place 2 | Justice  Ada Brown, Place 3 | Justice Lana Myers, Place 4 | Justice Craig Stoddart, Place 5 | Justice David L. Bridges, Place 6 | Justice Michael J. (Mike) O’Neill, Place 7 | Justice Bill Whitehill, Place 8 | Justice David Lewis, Place 9 | Justice Molly Francis, Place 10 | Justice Douglas S. Lang, Place 11 | Justice Robert M. (Bob) Fillmore, Place 12 | Justice Elizabeth Lang-Miers, Place 13.

Sixth Court of Appeals IN TEXARKANA

Josh R. Morriss III, Chief Justice | Justice Bailey C. Moseley, Place 2 | Justice Ralph K Burgess, Place 3.

Seventh Court of Appeals IN AMARILLO

Brian Quinn, Chief Justice | Justice Mackey K. Hancock, Place 2 | Justice Patrick A. Pirtle, Place 3 | Justice James T. Campbell, Place 4.

Eighth Court of Appeals IN EL PASO

Ann Crawford McClure, Chief Justice | Justice Yvonne T. Rodriguez, Place 2 | Justice Steven Hughes, Place 3.

Ninth Court of Appeals IN BEAUMONT

Steve McKeithen, Chief Justice | Justice Charles Kreger, Place 2 | Justice Leanne Johnson, Place 3 | Justice Hollis Horton, Place 4.

Tenth Court of Appeals IN WACO

Tom Gray, Chief Justice | Justice Rex Davis, Place 2 | Justice Al Scoggins, Place 3.

Eleventh Court of Appeals IN EASTLAND

Jim R. Wright, Chief Justice | Justice Mike Willson, Place 2 | Justice John M. Bailey, Place 3.

Twelfth Court of Appeals IN TYLER

James T. “Jim” Worthen, Chief Justice | Justice Brian Hoyle, Place 2 | Justice Greg Neeley, Place 3.

Thirteenth Court of Appeals  IN CORPUS CHRISTI / EDINBURG

Rogelio Valdez, Chief Justice | Justice Nora Longoria, Place 2 | Justice Gregory T. Perkes, Place 3 | Justice Nelda V. Rodriguez, Place 4 | Justice Gina M. Benavides, Place 5 | Justice Dori Contreras Garza, Place 6.

Fourteenth Court of Appeals IN HOUSTON

Kem Thompson Frost, Chief Justice | Justice Sharon McCally, Place 2 | Justice Brett Busby, Place 3 | Justice Mark Brown, Place 4 | Justice Martha Hill Jamison, Place 5 | Justice William J. Boyce, Place 6 | Justice Ken Wise, Place 7 | Justice John Donovan, Place 8 | Justice Tracy Christopher, Place 9.  

RESOURCES ON THE WEB – NAVIGATION ON TEXAS JUDICIARY WEBSITE(S)

Biographies and photos of justices of each court of appeals can be found by following the link in the left-hand corner denoted “About the Court” on each court-specific home page.  See example for San Antonio Court of Appeals below:

Judge Bios on Texas Judiciary Websites (each court has its own URL and home page)

TEXAS JUDICIAL BRANCH WEBSITE NAVIGATION

Background information on Texas judges and justices can also be found on the Judgepedia website.

*) The terms associate justice is used to refer to members of the courts of appeals other than the chief justice in analogy to the terminology used by the U.S. Supreme Court. There is no official equivalent to "associate justice" on the Texas Court of Appeals. There are only two titles: Chief Justice and Justice.