Choosin’ Texas I Can Tell

The article says Democratic candidates are poised to win Texas’s Senate and governor races, while Republicans are also set to lose several judicial elections. The author argues that party-line voting, rather than judges’ qualifications, drove the results, which could reshape Texas courts and the state’s approach to litigation.

Four of nine Texas Supreme Court seats were contested, and the author expects all four Republican incumbents to lose, leaving a five-to-four Republican majority. Three seats on the Court of Criminal Appeals were also contested, but the author expects its conservative majority to remain. All three members of the newly created Fifteenth Court of Appeals are expected to lose, potentially leaving it entirely Democratic. The article also anticipates changes to local courts, the Texas Business Court and the attorney-general’s litigation strategy, while noting that some election outcomes remain uncertain.