About this office
It's very difficult for a case to reach the Supreme Court. So for most Texans who appeal — a custody ruling, a lawsuit, a conviction — the Court of Appeals is the last court that will ever hear it. Texas has 14 of these courts, each covering a share of the 254 counties, and Hays County's cases go to the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin. The Chief Justice runs that court — and this year the seat is on your ballot.
Candidates
Lee HarrisBefore he was a judge, Lee Harris grew up on the path to becoming an agriculture major - he graduated Baylor Law School in 1993 and spent years prosecuting felony cases as Hill County's district attorney pro tem.
About Lee
Harris was the first-ever judge of Hill County's County Court at Law, later moved up to the 66th District Court, and Governor Abbott appointed him to the 10th Court of Appeals, Place 2, in January 2025. He's now running to keep the seat in the November 2026 general election. Outside the courtroom, he teaches as an adjunct professor in Baylor Law's Practice Court program and serves as a deacon at his church near Peoria, Texas.