Courts10th Court of Appeals
10th Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals · Statewide
3 justices sit this bench; our directory snapshots record 2 past members. The docket leans criminal — 9,655 of 16,288 filings since 1981. 6,537 attorneys have appeared here.
The bench3 sitting
JudgeRoleTenure
Former judges
Thomas W. GrayChief JusticeThrough Dec 2024Retired as Chief Justice at the end of his term; Matt Johnson succeeded him (elected)
Steven Lee SmithJusticeAug 6, 2021 – Oct 2026Succeeded by Andrea Westerfeld (gubernatorial appointment, effective 2026-10-01)
Filings by year2026 is partial
Attorneys who appear most in this court6,537 have appeared · 25-case floor
AttorneyCityMostlyCases
1Abel ReynaLubbockCriminal6752Stanley L. SchwiegerWacoCriminal4973Alex Johnathan BellDallasCriminal3254Clint Foster SareBryanCriminal2215John Barksdale HolmesBirminghamCriminal1876Patrick C. BatchelorCorsicanaCriminal1707Danny Val DentHillsboroCriminal1538Lane D. ThibodeauxBryanCriminal1419Martha Ann MontgomeryFriscoCriminal13610John A. KucheraWacoCriminal135Attorneys in private practice with 25 or more appearances in this court’s indexed filings. Bulk government filers are not listed.
Elections4 races · 3 cycles · official canvass
CandidateVotesShare
2024Chief Justice
2022Place 3
Steve Smith (i)R—elected
2020Place 2
2020Place 3Unexpired term
Texas judges are elected in partisan races; a governor’s appointee fills a vacancy only until the next general election. Results are the Secretary of State’s official canvass. An unopposed candidate can be declared elected without appearing on the ballot, so some races record no votes.
Last refreshed September 23, 2026