Texas Supreme Court primaries: Who is running and what to know

Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates with political experience or demonstrably competitive campaigns, using benchmarks such as fundraising, endorsements and online presence. For a full list of candidates, view our primary ballot page. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our guides and news coverage here.

About the elected seat: The Texas Supreme Court is the state’s highest civil court, the final arbiter of major issues of state law. Justices are elected to six-year terms in partisan elections, but if they step down before their term expires — as is often the case — the governor appoints their successor. Gov. Greg Abbott, a former member of the court, has appointed seven of the nine current justices. All of the current justices are Republicans; there has not been a Democrat elected to the bench since the 1990s.

What’s at stake: The Texas Supreme Court interprets the state Constitution to decide issues of major importance, like whether state laws can remain in effect or if elected leaders are overstepping their roles. It decides which cases to review, and its rulings are final, giving the nine justices huge influence over the laws of Texas. In recent years, the Supreme Court has upheld Texas’ bans on abortion and gender-affirming care for minors; weighed in on pandemic protocols for elections and evictions; and delayed the execution of Robert Roberson, a death row inmate accused of killing his 2-year-old daughter. Several very important cases are before the court right now, including the question of whether Democrats who left the state to protest redistricting can be removed from office. Four of the nine spots on the court are on the ballot this year, including the chief justice position. All Republican incumbents face no primary challengers. In the Democratic primary, there are only multiple candidates in the Place 1 and Place 7 elections.

Place 1, Chief Justice

Experience:

• Chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court since January 2025

• Appointed to the Texas Supreme Court by Abbott in January 2018

• Served as Abbott’s general counsel from 2015 to 2018, and worked under him at the Texas Attorney General’s Office from 2009 to 2015

• Clerked for Judge Jerry Smith on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

• Graduate of Yale Law School

Political ideology:

• Blacklock is a Republican who touts his strict adherence to the plain text of the Constitution, a judicial philosophy known as “originalism” adopted by the conservative legal movement. Before he became a judge, he oversaw legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act, defended Texas’ abortion laws and fought against benefits for same-sex couples, among a slew of other cases.

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Anti-abortion groups Texas Alliance for Life and Texas Right to Life

• Texas Civil Justice League, a group focused on electing judges who support restricting lawsuits against businesses

How to contact or learn more:
contact@jimmyblacklock.com

Blacklock has no Republican opponents.

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Paul Wingo, Dallas attorney
• Charles Brady, Arlington attorney
• Thomas Lester, Washington, D.C. attorney

Experience:

• Partner at Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons in Dallas

• Served as a justice on Texas’ 5th Court of Appeals from 2019 to 2025

• Commissioner on the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health

• Assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General for Washington, D.C.

• Assistant district attorney at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office

• Graduate of the University of Houston Law Center

Political ideology:

• Carlyle is running as a Democrat who says his judicial philosophy is to faithfully interpret laws and follow precedent.

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Preston Hollow Democrats, a Dallas neighborhood group

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

Experience:

• Justice on Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals since January 2025

• Previously worked in private practice with a focus on juvenile and family law

• Former assistant district attorney at the Travis County District Attorney’s Office

• Former administrative law judge

• Former public school teacher and foster mom

Political ideology:

Ellis is a Democrat who is running on a platform of removing politics from the judiciary and expanding access to justice. She has said she decided to run for the seat after the Texas Supreme Court issued guidance saying judges did not have to perform same-sex marriages, a decision she called “an attack on our community and our Constitution.”

In the news:

Endorsements:

• AFL-CIO

• Coalition for Democratic Allies, a Central Texas organizing group

• Austin Young Democrats

• Bexar County Young Democrats

• Liberal Austin Democrats

• NxNW Democrats, an Austin-based group

• Stonewall Democrats of Austin

• The Caucus, a Houston LGBTQ+ political advocacy group

Place 2

James Sullivan

Republican

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, the state’s leading advocacy group for limiting businesses’ legal liability
• Vinson & Elkins Texas PAC, associated with the major Houston law firm
• Valero Energy Corporation PAC, associated with the oil and gas corporation

Experience:

• Appointed by Abbott to the Texas Supreme Court in January 2025

• Served as Abbott’s general counsel and deputy general counsel

• Served as assistant solicitor general when Abbott was attorney general

• Clerked for Judge Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

• Graduate of Harvard Law School

Political ideology:

Sullivan is a conservative Republican who has said he will “run through a wall for the rule of law” and promises “bold, relentless, conservative judging.”

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Texas Alliance for Life, an anti-abortion group

• Texas Civil Justice League, a group focused on electing judges who support restricting lawsuits against businesses

Sullivan has no Republican opponents.

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Susan Miller, retired Austin attorney
• Debra Shivers, business manager at Jones Family Farm

Experience:

• Served on Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals since 2019

• Former felony prosecutor for the Travis and Comal County district attorney’s offices

• Former assistant attorney general in the Civil Medicaid Fraud unit at the Texas Office of the Attorney General

• Former staff attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

• An Army veteran, Kelly was a paratrooper and captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps where she worked as a defense attorney at Fort Hood and Joint Base San Antonio

Political ideology:

Kelly is a Democrat who says she is a “committed defender of the Constitution.”

In the news:

Endorsements:

• AFL-CIO

• Austin Young Democrats

• Bay Area Democratic Movement

• Liberal Austin Democrats

• University Democrats

Kelly has no Democratic opponents.

Place 7

Kyle Hawkins

Republican, incumbent

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, the state’s leading advocacy group for limiting businesses’ legal liability
• Vinson & Elkins Texas PAC, associated with the major Houston law firm
• Scott Keller and Steven Lehotsky, founders and partners at Lehotsky Keller, Hawkins’ former employer

Experience:

• The newest Supreme Court justice, Hawkins was appointed by Abbott in October 2025

• Served on the transition team for the Trump Department of Justice as counselor to the U.S. solicitor general

• Attorney in private practice at Lehotsky Keller and Gibson Dunn

• Served as Texas solicitor general from 2018 to 2021, and assistant solicitor general from 2017 to 2018

• Law clerk to Judge Edith Jones on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Samuel Alito on the U.S. Supreme Court

Political ideology:

Hawkins is a conservative Republican who, as an attorney, has litigated major cases against the Affordable Care Act and Planned Parenthood, and testified to Congress about constitutional issues with the Voting Rights Act.

In the news:

Former Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins joins high court 

Endorsements:

• Texas Civil Justice League, a group focused on electing judges who support restricting lawsuits against businesses

Hawkins has no Republican opponents.

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Goodman loaned his campaign $6,096

Experience:

Justice on Texas’ 1st Court of Appeals in Houston from 2019 to 2024

Political ideology:

Goodman is running as a Democrat.

In the news:

Endorsements:

University Democrats

How to contact or learn more:

Goodman does not have a campaign website.

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin, partners at Houston-based Arnold & Itkin, a law firm that is working to elect candidates who oppose tort reform measures
• Mike Lowenberg, Houston attorney
• Kherker Garcia, a Houston personal injury law firm
• Sean Roberts and the Roberts Markland personal injury law firm

Experience:

• Judge of the 11th District Court in Houston since 2017, where she led the court’s response to COVID-19 and has been appointed to oversee two multidistrict litigation proceedings, including the Astroworld lawsuits

• Previously ran her own private practice focused on Social Security disability claims

• Served as tax master, presiding over cases involving delinquent property taxes, for a swath of Harris County for five years

Political ideology:

Hawkins, a Democrat, is running on her experience as a trial court judge. She said the high court could benefit from the perspectives of district judges, who are often tasked with implementing Supreme Court rulings and see their effects on parties, lawyers and judges. Hawkins is a strong believer in access to jury trials, and said appellate courts should be cautious in overturning jury verdicts.

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Bexar County Young Democrats

• Liberal Austin Democrats

• The Caucus, a Houston LGBTQ political group

Place 8

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC, the state’s leading advocacy group for limiting businesses’ legal liability
• Vinson & Elkins Texas PAC, associated with the major Houston law firm
• Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP Texas Committee, associated with the global law firm

Experience:

• Appointed by Abbott to the Supreme Court in 2019

• Former justice on Texas’ 14th Court of Appeals in Houston from 2012 to 2018

• Former appellate attorney in private practice

• Clerked for Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court

Political ideology:

Busby is a Republican who, before becoming a judge, worked with conservative groups like the Federalist Society, the Alliance Defending Freedom and First Liberty. Since joining the court, he has advocated for expanding access to legal services and civic education. 

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Texas Civil Justice League, a group focused on electing judges who support restricting lawsuits against businesses

• Texas Alliance for Life, an anti-abortion group 

Busby has no Republican opponents.

Campaign finance:

Major donors this cycle:

• Triana has not raised any money this cycle but carried over funds in her campaign account from a previous run.

Experience:

• Justice on Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin since 2019

• Previously served as judge of the 200th District Court, taking office in 2005

• Justice of the peace and county court-at-law judge from 1994 to 2004 

Political ideology:

Triana is running as a Democrat. When she ran for the same seat in 2020, Triana said the all-Republican makeup of the court made it overly “result-oriented and beholden to special interests,” and criticized their rulings allowing evictions and debt collections to resume during COVID-19.

In the news:

Endorsements:

• Liberal Austin Democrats

• University Democrats

Triana has no Democratic opponents.

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood and Texas Civil Justice League have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.