Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals: who gets your vote?
What this role does
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals reviews civil appeals statewide, including specified cases involving state government and appeals from the Texas Business Court.
Its rulings affect major state-government and business disputes.
- Statewide civil appeals
- State-government cases
- Business Court appeals
Read about them. Then tap a button to pick one. You can change it later.
Data last updated: Oct 31, 2026 (state and local ballot sources). Verify approaching elections with your state election office.
Our reading of the duties, not an official requirement. Doesn't rank or recommend anyone.
AI can make mistakes. Check the source links.
SCOTT BRISTER
Running for Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals · Texas
StateRepublican Party / Partido Republicano
JERRY ZIMMERER
Running for Chief Justice, 15th Court of Appeals · Texas
StateDemocratic Party / Partido Demócrata
Job fit
SCOTT BRISTER
- Brister served on the Texas Supreme Court (2003–09), Houston’s First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals (2001–03), and Harris County’s 234th District Court as presiding judge (1989–2000). 1
- His judicial biography reports that he presided over 454 jury trials to verdict and authored more than 600 appellate opinions, including 122 for the Texas Supreme Court. 1
- Brister previously worked as a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. 1
JERRY ZIMMERER
- His campaign reports six years as an elected justice on Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals. 2
- Before the bench, Zimmerer worked as a Houston litigator in civil trials, health law and international commercial arbitration. 3
- In his September 10, 2026 questionnaire, Zimmerer said he eliminated an inherited backlog and authored over 600 decisions and opinions during his appellate service. 4
Past rulings
We haven't found past rulings for either candidate yet.
Who pays them
SCOTT BRISTER
Nothing found for this candidate yet.
JERRY ZIMMERER
In the September 10, 2026 questionnaire, Zimmerer named himself, his brother and his sister as his top general-election contributors; he said all other contributions were $1,000 or less. 4
Checks
No checks have run for either candidate yet.
Based on current data. May change in a future update.
Sources
- About the Court | Justices | Chief Justice Scott Brister · checked 2026-10-31 used in: Experience
- Zimmerer, Baker & Meyer for the Texas 15th Court of Appeals · checked 2026-10-31 used in: Experience
- Jerry Zimmerer for Chief Justice · checked 2026-10-31 used in: Experience
- Meet the Candidate: Jerry Zimmerer seeks Chief Justice ... · checked 2026-10-31 used in: Experience, Money