15th Court of Appeals, Chief Justice

Uncontested in Republican primary
Uncontested in Democratic primary
These candidates will face each other in the November general election

Court & Place	Democrat	Republican	Notes/Other
	Jerry Zimmerer (D)	*Scott Brister (R-Austin)**	Candidate (L) Candidate (G) Candidate (I)
Campaign Mailing Address	14014 Chevy Chase Dr. Houston, TX 77077	1005 Congress Ave, Suite 400 Austin, TX 78701
Campaign Phone	832-444-2553	512-565-8556
Campaign Website	jerryzimmerer.com	justicescottbrister.com
Social Media Links	twitter facebook linkedin	twitter facebook linkedin
Bar Card Number	22264550	00000024
Current Occupation	Attorney	Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals
Years of Texas Residency		63 years
JD School & Year	South Texas College of Law 1984 L.L.M., International Law University of Houston Law Center 2015 L.L.M., Health Law University of Houston Law Center 2015	Harvard Law 1980 cum laude
Other Education	B.A., Houston Baptist University 1978	Duke University, BA of History, 1977
Year of State Bar Licensure	1984	1980
Legal Experience - Nonjudicial	Managing Member, Zimmerer & Associates, PLLC (2015-2018) International Law Studies, University of Houston (2013-15) Health Law Studies, University of Houston (2013-15) Corporate Counsel and VP, Human Resources, Net Integrated Services, Inc. (1995-96) Managing Partner, Zimmerer & Associates (1984-95)	Senior Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, 2009-2024 Andrews, Kurth, Campbell, & Jones—law firm (1981-1989) Supreme Court of Texas — law clerk (1980-1981)
Jury Trial Experience		about 500 (460 as trial judge)
Appellate Judicial Experience	Justice, 14th Court of Appeals 2019-present	Justice, Supreme Court of Texas, 2003-2009 Justice, First Court of Appeals, 2001 Chief Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, 2001-2003
Other Judicial Experience		Judge, 234th District Court, 1989-2000
Board Certifications		Civil Appellate Law Civil Trial Law Personal Injury Law
Courts Admitted	U.S. Dist. Court, Southern Dist. of Texas	US District Court, Southern District of Texas US District Court, Northern District of Texas US District Court, Eastern District of Texas US District Court, Western District of Texas US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit US Supreme Court US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Honors and Awards		Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, Houston Bar Foundation (1992-present) Pattern Jury Charge Committee – Business, Consumer, Insurance & Employment (2015-present) Member, Texas Commission on Public School Finance (2018)
Prior Elections	2018 General Election 14th Court of Appeals, Place 3 51% vs Brett Busby (R)	2004 General Election: Justice, Texas Supreme Court - 59% vs David Van Os 2002 General Election: Chief Justice, Fourteenth Court of Appeals - Unopposed 2000 General Election: Justice, First Court of Appeals - 53.5% vs Mary Thompson 2000 Republican Primary: Justice, First Court of Appeals - 64% vs Richard Hall
Most Recent Bar Polls	2026 - 1594 45%	2026 - 1957 55%
Key Endorsements (Max 5)		Governor Greg Abbott Texas Civil Justice League PAC
Judicial Philosophy (Max 250 words)		After 20 years as a judge and 33 years as a practicing lawyer, Governor Abbott asked me to become the first Chief Justice of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals. This new statewide court was created specifically to handle cases that impact Texans across the state by ensuring that the law is not twisted or ignored based on local politics. We need rational, uniform enforcement of the law now more than ever. When I first became a judge in 1989, there were about 16 million Texans; today there are almost twice that many. Our economy has become the 8th largest in the world, and we are on track to surpass California as the most populous state in 20 years. Hardworking and innovative people and their businesses have flooded into Texas, looking for economic growth, lower taxes, freedom from oppressive regulations, and a chance to prosper for themselves and their children. One of the key factors in this is the rule of law: that state laws and business contracts mean exactly what they say—no more, no less. A deal is a deal. People, families, investors, and businesses of all kinds need this kind of stability to plan for the future. This has always been my goal as a judge: for 11 years as a trial judge, for 6 years on the Texas Supreme Court, and for 4 years on the First, Fourteenth, and now the Fifteenth Courts of Appeals. I need your help in this effort.
Misc		Chair, Texas Public School Finance Commission (2017) Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin (2005–present)
Date Submitted by Candidate	Gathered from public sources	Submitted by candidate 10-8-25

15th Court of Appeals, Chief Justice

Jerry Zimmerer (D)

**Scott Brister* (R-Austin)**

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