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Running for a Judicial Office in 2024

NEW LAW: Pursuant to HB 2384 (88th Leg., R.S.), effective September 1, 2023, candidates for the following judicial offices must provide additional information with their application:

• Chief justice or justice of the Supreme Court;
• Presiding judge or judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals;
• Chief justice or justice of a Court of Appeals;
• District judge, including a criminal district judge; and
• Judge of a statutory county court.

The new requirements do not apply to a county judge under Article V, Section 15 of the Texas Constitution.

NOTE: SB 1045 (2023, R.S.) created the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. Although SB 1045 has an effective date of September 1, 2023, because the bill specifically states that the court of appeals will not be created until September 1, 2024, the initial vacancies for chief justice and justice places 2 and 3 will be filled by appointment, and the offices will not appear on the ballot until the next general election cycle in 2026.

Candidate Application & Filing Period

• Republican Party or Democratic Party Primary Election: The appication and accompanying documents must be filed between November 11, 2023 and 6:00 p.m. on December 11, 2023. (Section 172.023, Texas Election Code). The application shall be filed with the state party chair (state and district offices) or the county party chair (county and precinct offices). (Section 172.022, Texas Election Code). See Filing in the Republican or Democratic 2024 Primary for more information.

• All candidates must complete the Primary Party Judicial Candidate Application (PDF).
• Candidates running for Courts of Appeals in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 14th Districts and all candidates running for judicial offices in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties must file additional petitions (PDF).
• Certain statewide judicial candidates must also file additional petitions using the Statewide Judicial Office on Primary Ballot petition form (PDF).

• Libertarian Party or Green Party Convention Process:  The candidate application and accompanying documents must be filed with the applicable county or state party chair between November 11, 2023 and 6:00 p.m. on December 11, 2023. (Sections 181.032, 181.033, Texas Election Code). A candidate must submit a filing fee or petition in lieu of filing fee to the Secretary of State or County Judge, whichever is applicable. (Section 181.0311, Texas Election Code). See Filing in the Libertarian Party or Green Party 2024 Convention Process for more information.

• All candidates must complete the Judicial Candidate Application for Nomination by Convention (PDF).

• Independent Candidate:  To file as an independent candidate, candidates must follow a two-part process:
  
  
  • File a Declaration of Intent to Run as an Independent Candidate (PDF) between November 11, 2023 and 6:00 p.m. on December 11, 2023 with the county judge (county or precinct offices) or the Secretary of State (district and state offices) (Sections 142.002(b)(2), 142.005, Texas Election Code). 
• After the primary (or primary runoff, if applicable), file an Independent Judicial Candidate Application (PDF) and accompanying documents along with a supporting nominating petition.  The application, along with petition, must be filed by 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 2024, with the county judge (county or precinct offices) or the Secretary of State (district and state offices). (Sections 142.005, 142.006, 142.009, Texas Election Code). See Running as an Independent Candidate in 2024 for more information.
  
  
• Declared Write-in Candidate:  The application must be filed between July 20, 2024 and 5:00 p.m. on August 19, 2024. (Section 146.025, Texas Election Code). The application is filed with the county judge (county or precinct offices) or the Secretary of State (district and state offices) (Section 146.024, Texas Election Code). See Running as a Write-in Candidate in 2024 for more information.

• All candidates must complete the Write-In Judicial Candidate Application (PDF)

Required Information – All Judicial Candidates

NEW LAW: Pursuant to HB 2384 (88th Leg., R.S.), effective September 1, 2023, a candidate for the office of chief justice or justice of the Supreme Court, presiding judge or judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, chief justice or justice of a Court of Appeals, district judge (including a criminal district judge), or judge of a statutory county court must provide the following information ALONG WITH their application:

• The candidate’s application must include the candidate’s state bar number for Texas and any other state in which the candidate has been licensed to practice law.
• The application must disclose:
• Any public sanction or censure, as those terms are defined by Section 33.001 of the Texas Government Code, that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct or a review tribunal has issued against the candidate;
• Any public disciplinary sanction imposed on the candidate by the state bar; and
• Any public disciplinary sanction imposed on the candidate by an entity in another state responsible for attorney discipline in that state.
• The application must include statements describing for the preceding five years:
• The nature of the candidate's legal practice, including any area of legal specialization; and
• The candidate's professional courtroom experience.  
• The application must disclose any final conviction of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor in the 10 years preceding the date the candidate would assume the judicial office for which the application is filed, if elected.

Additional Required Information – Specific Judicial Offices (Non-Incumbents Only)

NEW LAW: Pursuant to HB 2384 (88th Leg., R.S.), effective September 1, 2023, a candidate who does not hold or has not previously held the office of chief justice or justice of the Supreme Court, presiding judge or judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, or chief justice or justice of a Court of Appeals must include a description of the following information in their application:

• Appellate court briefs the candidate has prepared and filed in the preceding five years; and
• Oral arguments the candidate has presented before any appellate court in the preceding five years.

1. The information is only required if the candidate does not hold or has not previously held any of those judicial offices. (Section 141.0311(c), Texas Election Code).
2. Section 172.021(g) of the Texas Election Code provides that a candidate for the office of chief justice or justice of the Supreme Court, or presiding judge or judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, who chooses to pay the filing fee must also accompany the application and fee with a petition. The minimum number of signatures that must appear on the petition is 50 from each of the fourteen court of appeals districts, for a total requirement of 700 signatures.
3. Section 172.021 of the Texas Election Code states petition requirements for certain judicial candidates. For candidates running for Courts of Appeals in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 14th Districts and all candidates running for judicial offices in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties, a 250-signature judicial petition is required in addition to the filing fee, or 750 signatures must be collected on the petition in lieu of filing fee.