U.S., Texas, Williamson County, and municipal judicial officials are elected, or sometimes appointed to represent us in federal, state, county, and municipal courts.
This list has the contact information, salary (if any) for the position, and the term ending.
It will also list Democratic candidates who have filed for the position.
Federal Court System
United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justices are appointed by the President of the United States when there is a vacancy. The Senate votes to confirm the nominee, which requires a simple majority. They serve a life tenure.
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. Appeals are heard in the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Federal circuit court judges are appointed by the president for life. There are 16 active judges (4 Democrats, 12
Republicans), and there are 10 Senior Judges (semi-retired) of which 3 are Democrats, and 7 are Republicans.
The Senate votes to confirm the nominee, which requires a simple majority. They are paid approximately $179,500 annually.
ballotpedia.org/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Fifth_Circuit
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas has jurisdiction over Williamson County. Williamson County
is in the Austin Division of the Western District.
ballotpedia.org/Courts_in_Texas
Judges are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by a majority of the U.S. Senate.
Appeals from the Western District go to the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
ballotpedia.org/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Western_District_of_Texas
Texas Judicial System
To understand the Texas Judicial System, view this chart: www.txcourts.gov/media
Texas Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort for civil matters. The court has nine justices. The Chief Justice makes $171,000. Associate Justices make $168,000.
There is a partisan election of justices, but nearly all of them were originally appointed to their courts by the governor. When a vacancy occurs, the governor may appoint a Justice, subject to Senate confirmation, to serve the remainder of an unexpired term until the next general election.
Supreme Court Justices are elected to staggered terms of 6 years in statewide elections.
As of June 2021, all eight justices on the court identified with the Republican Party.
Supreme Court Building
201 W. 14th Street, Room 104
Austin, Texas 78701
Mailing Address:
Supreme Court of Texas
PO Box 12248
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-1312
Nathan Hecht (Republican Party) is is the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (Place 1). He assumed office on October 1, 2013. His current term expires on December 31, 2026.
ballotpedia.org/Nathan_Hecht
Jimmy Blacklock (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 2 of the Texas Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 2, 2018.
His current term expires on December 31, 2024.
ballotpedia.org/Jimmy_Blacklock
Debra Lehrmann (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 3 of the Texas Supreme Court. She assumed office on June 21, 2010.
Her current term expires on December 31, 2026.
ballotpedia.org/Debra_Lehrmann
John Devine (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 4 of the Texas Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 1, 2013.
Term expires on December 31, 2024.
ballotpedia.org/John_Devine_(Texas)
Rebeca Huddle (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 5 of the Texas Supreme Court. She assumed office on October 30, 2020.
Her current term expires on December 31, 2026.
ballotpedia.org/Rebeca_Huddle
Jane Bland (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 6 of the Texas Supreme Court. Her current term expires on December 31, 2024.
ballotpedia.org/Jane_Bland
Jeffrey S. Boyd (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 7 of the Texas Supreme Court. He was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in 2012. His current term expires on December 31, 2026.
ballotpedia.org/Jeffrey_S._Boyd
Brett Busby (Republican Party) is the Justice for Place 8 of the Texas Supreme Court. He was appointed March 20, 2019 by Gov. Greg Abbott. His current term expires on December 31, 2026.
ballotpedia.org/Brett_Busby
Evan Young, (Republican Party) is the justice for Place 9 of the Texas Supreme Court. He was appointed on November 9, 2021.
The term expires on December 31, 2028.
ballotpedia.org/Evan_Young
ballotpedia.org/Texas_Supreme_Court
ballotpedia.org/Texas_Supreme_Court_elections,_2022
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the state's court of last resort for criminal matters and has nine judges. The current chief of the court is Sharon Keller.
The court is composed of a presiding judge and eight judges.
Each judge serves a six-year term.
They are elected in staggered partisan elections.
The governor may appoint, subject to senate confirmation, a judge to serve out the remainder of any unexpired term until the next general election.
Chief Judge Salary is $187,800 and Associates: $184,800
The address for the court is 201 W 14th St, Austin, TX 78701
www.txcourts.gov/cca/
ballotpedia.org/Texas_Court_of_Criminal_Appeals
Presiding Judge - Sharon Keller - Term expires 2024 - Republican - Salary: $204,600
Place 2 - Mary Lou Keel - Term expires 2028 - Republican - Salary: $201,600
Place 3 - Bert Richardson - Current Term expires 2026 - Republican - Salary: $201,600
Place 4 - Kevin Patrick Yeary - Current Term expires 2026 - Republican - Salary: $184,800
Place 5 - Scott Walker - Term expires 2028 - Republican - Salary: $168,000
Place 6 - Jesse F. McClure III - Term expires 2028 - Republican - Salary $168,000.00
Place 7 - Barbara Hervey - Elected Term expires 2024 - Republican
Place 8 - Michelle Slaughter - Elected Term expires 2024 - Republican
Place 9 - David Newell -Elected Term expires 2026 - Republican
Texas Court of Appeals
There are currently 14 Courts of Appeals Districts in Texas, with 80 judges.
Williamson County is in the Third Court of Appeals District:
ballotpedia.org/Texas_Third_District_Court_of_Appeals.
Known as the Third Appellate District of Texas or the Texas Third Court of Appeals
The court consists of six judges, one chief justice and five justices, hearing cases from 24 counties.
The Third Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that hears all the criminal and civil appeals for 24 counties,
with the exception of capital murder cases. Anyone who wants to appeal a Third Court decision goes to the Court of Criminal Appeals
(COCA) for criminal cases and to the Texas Supreme Court (TSC) for civil cases.
It has intermediate appellate jurisdiction
- civil and criminal cases appealed from lower courts in twenty-four counties of Texas
in civil cases where judgment rendered exceeds $250, exclusive of costs
other civil proceedings as provided by law
in criminal cases except in post-conviction writs of habeas corpus and where the death penalty has been imposed
Price Daniel Sr. Building
209 West 14th Street, Room 101
Austin, Texas 78701
Mailing Address:
Third Court of Appeals
PO Box 12547
Austin, Texas 78711
Telephone: (512) 463-1733
Map of the Court of Appeals Districts in Texas:
Williamson County is in Third Court of Appeals District (the green in the middle).
https://libguides.law.ttu.edu/c.php?g=478525&p=3303546
Place 1 - Chief Judge
Darlene Byrne
P O Box 412
Austin Tx 78767
E-Mail: byrnecampaign@gmail.com
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Judge
Next Election 2026. Term expires December 31, 2026
Place 2 - Edward Smith - Elected in 2019 - Term expires December 31, 2024 - Democrat
smithforjustice.com/
Place 3 - Chari Kelly - Elected in 2019 - Term expires 2024 – Democrat
Place 4 - Rosa Lopez Theofanis - Elected in 2022 - Term expires 2028 - Democrat
Place 5 - Thomas J. Baker - 2019 - Present - Term expires 2024 – He is a
Democrat and will run again.
Place 6 - Gisela Triana - 2018 - Present - Term expires 2024 – Democrat
CAUTION:
Texas is creating a 15th Court of Appeals
- Created by Senate Bill 1045 in
2023
- Statewide jurisdiction
- State appeals
- Appeals from newly created business courts
- Abbott will appoint the first three justices
- After appointment new judges will run for election
- Bill allows for two additional judges
Types of Cases
Mask mandates
Gender-affirming care
COVID-era curfews
Investigations into trans families
Paid sick leave
Mail-in ballot access
Texas Judicial District Courts in Williamson County
District Courts handle:
- Jurisdiction in civil actions over $200, divorce, title to land, contested elections
- Original jurisdiction in felony criminal matters
- Juvenile matters
- 13 district courts are designated criminal district courts; some others are directed to give preference to certain specified areas
There are 478 district courts in Texas with 478 Judges. 381 districts contain one county, and 97 districts contain more than one county. The 26th, 277th, 368th, 395th, 425th, and 480th District Courts are in Williamson County.
This is the map of District Courts in Texas:
www.txcourts.gov/media/1455548/district-courts-january-2023.pdf
District Judges are elected for 4 year terms.
Their salary is set by the legislature and the range typically falls between $168,169 and $191,864.
Texas Judicial District 26
Judge: Donna King - Republican
26th District Court Judge
Williamson County Justice Center
405 Martin Luther King Jr St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1100
Term expires on December 31, 2024.
Texas Judicial District 277
Judge: Stacey Mathews - Republican
277th District Court Judge
405 Martin Luther King Jr St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1277
Current term expires on December 31, 2026.
Texas Judicial District 368
Judge: Rick J. Kennon - Republican
368th District Court Judge
405 M.L.K. Street
Suite 117, Box 8
Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1368
Current term expires on December 31, 2026.
Texas Judicial District 395
Judge: Ryan D. Larson - Republican
405 Martin Luther King, Box 15
Georgetown, TX 78626
Office: (512) 943-1395
Current term expires on December 31, 2024
Texas Judicial District 425
Judge: Betsy Lambeth - Republican
405 M.L.K. Street
Georgetown, TX 78626
Phone: (512) 943-3380
Current term expires on December 31, 2024.
Texas Judicial District 480 (new)
Judge: Scott K. Field - Republican
405 M.L.K. Street
Georgetown, TX 78626
Phone:
www.wilco.org/Elected-Officials/District-Courts/480th-District-Court
Current term expires on December 31, 2024.
Williamson County Courts
Williamson County Courts at Law
The Williamson County Courts at Law are trial courts in Williamson County, Texas with concurrent jurisdiction over
many cases with the district courts and county courts in the county. They are elected to 4-year terms.
County-Level Courts are Constitutional County Courts, Statutory County Courts, and Statutory Probate Courts:
- Constitutional County Courts
- Each of the 254 counties in Texas has a single Constitutionally granted county court, presided over by a single county judge
- Original jurisdiction in civil actions between $200 and $20,000
- Probate mental health and guardianship (contested matters may be transferred to District Court)
- Exclusive original jurisdiction over misdemeanors with fines greater than $500 or jail sentence
- Juvenile matters
- Appeal de novo from lower courts or on the record from municipal courts of record
- Statutory County Courts
- 250 courts in 90 counties, plus 1 multi-county court
- All civil, criminal, original and appellate actions prescribed by law for constitutional count courts
- In addition, jurisdiction over civil matters between $200 and $250,000 (some courts may have higher maximum jurisdiction amounts
- Statutory Probate Courts
- 18 courts in 10 counties
- Limited primarily to probate mental health and guardianship matters
Williamson County, Texas now has five Constitutional County Courts at Law:
County Courts Division
Judge - County Court at Law No. 1 - Brandy Hallford - Republican
County Court at Law #1
405 M.L.K. Street
Georgetown, TX 78626
Phone: (512) 943-1200
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Judge - County Court at Law No. 2 - Laura Barker - Republican
405 M.L.K. Street
Georgetown, TX 78626
Main Line: (512) 943-1410
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Judge - County Court at Law No. 3 Doug Arnold - Republican
Williamson County Justice Center
405 Martin Luther King, Box 16
Georgetown, Texas 78626
Phone (512) 943-1160
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Judge - County Court at Law No. 4 John B. McMaster - Republican
County Court at Law #4
405 M.L.K. Street, Box 17
Georgetown, TX 78626
Phone: (512) 943-1681
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Judge - County Court at Law No. 5 Will Ward - Republican
County Court at Law #4
405 M.L.K. Street, Box 23
Georgetown, TX 78626
Phone: (512) 943-3671
Term expires on December 31, 2024
Williamson County Justice of the Peace Courts
Justices in the Justice of the Peace Courts in Texas are elected in partisan elections and serve four-year terms.
They are elected in a precinct-wide election.
The justice of the peace presides over the justice court in cases involving misdemeanors, small civil disputes,
landlord/tenant disputes and more. They also conduct death inquests and may perform marriage ceremonies.
- Civil actions of not more than $20,000
- Small claims
- Criminal misdemeanors punishable by fine only (no confinement)
- Magistrate functions
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 - KT Musselman - Democrat
J.B. and Hallie Jester Annex
1801 E Old Settlers Blvd, Ste 100
Round Rock, Texas, 78664
JP1@wilco.org
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 - Angela Williams - Republican
Williamson County Cedar Park Annex
350 Discovery Blvd, Ste. 204
Cedar Park, TX 78613
Telephone: (512) 260-4210
Salary $83,714
JP2@wilco.org
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Website: www.wilco.org/jp2
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 - Evelyn McLean - Republican
Georgetown Annex
100 Wilco Way, Suite 204
Georgetown, TX 78626
Telephone: (512) 943-1501
JP3@wilco.org
Term expires on December 31, 2026
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 - Judge Rhonda Redden - Republican
211 W 6th St
Taylor, Texas 76574
Phone: (512) 352-4155
JP4@wilco.org
Term expires on December 31, 2026.
Municipal Courts in Williamson County
In Texas, the rules regarding judges of the Municipal Courts vary by each city's charter. Some of the judges are appointed to a two-year term by the city's governing body, and some compete in partisan elections.
Functions:
- Criminal misdemeanors punishable by fine only (no confinement)
- Exclusive original jurisdiction over municipal ordinance criminal cases
- Limited civil jurisdiction
- Magistrate functions
Cedar Park Municipal Court
City courthouse · 911 Quest Pkwy · Cedar Park · (512) 260-4300
Presiding Judge Joseph Oswald - Republican
Associate Judge Daniel R Gonzalez
www.cedarparktexas.gov/253/Municipal-Court
Leander Municipal Court
Pat Bryson Municipal Hall · 201 N. Brushy Street · Leander, Texas 78641
Presiding Judge Cathy Riedel
Associate Judge Mark Goodner
leandertx.gov/municipalcourt
Liberty Hill Municipal Court
2801 Ranch Rd 1869, Liberty Hill, TX 78642
Presiding Judge Kevin R. Madison
Associate Judge Tracy V. Musch
tx-libertyhill2.civicplus.com/204/Municipal-Court
Round Rock Municipal Court
City courthouse · Round Rock, TX · In Centennial Plaza · (512) 218-5480
Presiding Judge Alan McGraw - Republican
Associate Judge Sandra Fitzpatrick was appointed by City Council June, 2021
Associate Judge Lucas Wilson was appointed by City Council June, 2021
Georgetown Municipal Court
City courthouse · Georgetown, TX · (512) 930-3625
Presiding Judge Randall C. Stump
Associate Judge David W. Scott
Williamson County Attorney
Doyle Hobbs Jr. - Republican
405 Martin Luther King Jr St
Georgetown, TX 78626
Phone: (512) 943-1111
Salary $153,142
Term expires on December 31, 2024
Williamson County District Attorney
Shawn Dick - Republican
405 M.L.K., Suite 229
Georgetown, Texas 78626
(512) 943-1111
Salary $70,140
Term expires on December 31, 2024
REFERENCES
Reference Websites
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