What to know before voting for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges

(Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune)

The nine-member Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s highest appellate court for all decisions on Texas criminal matters. But its pivotal role in Texas’ legal system does not mean it’s easy for voters to find information on the five candidates running for three seats on the court in November.

“The judicial elections in Texas are invisible to most voters, and so voters tend to vote for their partisanship or they tend to vote for incumbent judges whose names they might recognize,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.