Courts12th Court of Appeals
12th Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals · Statewide
3 justices sit this bench; our directory snapshots record 1 past member. The docket leans criminal — 8,812 of 15,121 filings since 1981. 4,487 attorneys have appeared here.
The bench3 sitting
JudgeRoleTenure
Former judges
Greg NeeleyJusticeThrough Nov 2025Retired; C. Michael Davis appointed to Place 3 (effective 2025-11-01)
Filings by year2026 is partial
Attorneys who appear most in this court4,487 have appeared · 25-case floor
AttorneyCityMostlyCases
1Douglas E. LoweLindaleCriminal3692Mark Wren CargillPalestineCriminal2043Sten Marti LangsjoenTylerCriminal1524M. Keith DollahiteTylerCivil1485Colin Dean McFallPalestineCriminal1256Christopher Daniel TinsleyAthensCriminal1187Jeffrey D. HerringtonAthensCriminal1118Deborah Johnson RaceTylerCivil1089James Wesley VolberdingTylerCriminal10410Leslie Poynter DixonEdgewoodCriminal91Attorneys in private practice with 25 or more appearances in this court’s indexed filings. Bulk government filers are not listed.
Elections3 races · 3 cycles · official canvass
CandidateVotesShare
2024Place 3
2022Place 2
2020Chief Justice
Jim Worthen (i)R351,260100.00%
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