Below the races for governor and U.S. Senate, every Collin County ballot this fall carries six contests for appeals court seats. Three of them are for the court that reviews appeals from Collin County's own district and county courts.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and ends Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The races below come from the county elections department's all-race sample ballot.
The Fifth Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas, based in Dallas, hears both civil and criminal appeals from district and county courts in Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Rockwall and Kaufman counties, according to the court. Most cases go before a panel of three justices.
Three of its seats are on the ballot:
- Place 3: Matthew Kolodoski, Republican, and Amanda Reichek, Democrat
- Place 6: Ben Smith, Republican, and Monica Purdy, Democrat
- Place 8: Ashley Wysocki, Republican, and Andrea D. Plumlee, Democrat
None of the six candidates appears on the court's current list of justices.
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals
The Legislature created the Fifteenth Court of Appeals in 2023, and it began work on Sept. 1, 2024, with a chief justice and two justices. Its jurisdiction is statewide. It hears civil appeals, including cases brought by or against the state and its agencies, such as university systems, according to the court's website.
All three of its seats are on the ballot, and each of the court's sitting members is running:
