Court of Criminal Appeals

This is one court with nine justices. It is the final appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases. The court may choose whether or not to review a case. The only cases that the court must hear are those that involve sentencing decisions in capital punishment cases and other cases involving liberty issues, such capital punishment cases, cases where bail has been denied and habeas cases where a person being detained attempts to prove some constitutional right has been violated as a result of their detention. The court is based in the state capital, Austin. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals hears both mandatory and discretionary cases. "All cases that result in the death penalty are automatically directed to the Court of Criminal Appeals from the trial court level. A significant portion of the Court’s workload also involves the mandatory review of applications for post-conviction habeas corpus relief in felony cases without a death penalty, over which the Court has sole authority. In addition, decisions made by the intermediate courts of appeals in criminal cases may be appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by petition for discretionary review, which may be filed by the State, the defendant, or both. However, the Court may also review a decision on its own motion."Article V of the Texas Constitution vests the judicial power of the state in the court, describes the court's jurisdiction. It also details the rules for judicial eligibility, elections, and filling vacancies on the court between elections.

Judicial Selection

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. In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement who must be confirmed by the Texas Senate. The appointee serves until the next general election, in which he or she may compete to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to remain on the court until their terms expire.

Qualifications

To serve on any of the appellate courts, a judge must be:

• a U.S. citizen

• a resident of Texas

• licensed to practice law in the state

• between the ages of 35 and 75

• a practicing lawyer and/or judge for at least 10 years

Salary 

Chief: $187,800, Associates: $184,800

Jurisdiction:​

Statewide

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Court_of_Criminal_Appeals