We recommend in the race for Chief Judge of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals

Two strong candidates are vying for the position of presiding judge of the state’s highest criminal court.

Republican David Schenck, a longtime jurist who served on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals from 2015 to 2022, has impressed us for many years with his careful reading of the law and his service as a steward of judicial ethics.

But voters have a tough choice in this race because longtime Travis County District Attorney Holly Taylor also has a well-qualified Democrat running for the bench.

Both have the legal background and a serious approach to the law to accomplish this task. We recommend Schenck because of his years of experience as an appellate judge, which Taylor lacks.

Taylor, 57, has extensive experience in appellate law. In addition to her many years of leadership as a senior prosecutor, she served as an attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals for four years. She is currently the Director of the Public Integrity and Complex Crimes Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.

We believe that both Schenck, 57, and Taylor would apply the law fairly. However, Schenck has written hundreds, if not thousands, of appellate opinions and in the process has developed a reputation as a knowledgeable and fair lawyer.

We learned that Schenck was among three candidates that Attorney General Ken Paxton endorsed after the Court of Appeals rightly rejected Paxton’s unlawful attempt to expand his prosecutorial powers. We viewed this as an attempt on Paxton’s part to unduly influence the court. It was a move that could undermine trust in the judiciary.

However, we must weigh Schenck’s acceptance of Paxton’s endorsement against two important facts. First, he ran in the Republican primary against incumbent Chief Justice Sharon Keller. Keller has a history of poor legal and ethical practices, and it was easy for us to select Schenck as the better candidate in this race.

In addition, Schenck has long advocated for the highest levels of judicial conduct and has continually advocated for campaign finance reform. He served as chairman of the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct and was an admirable voice for holding unethical judges accountable. His reputation is so good that we give him the benefit of the doubt when he assures us that he will act independently of any attempt at undue influence.

This court is the state’s final review court for death penalty cases. The stakes in a race like this couldn’t be higher.

Both Schenck and Taylor have convinced us that they understand the law and are prepared to apply it as written, taking into account all relevant facts on the record.

We believe that Schenck is the best choice if the decision is close.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and Submit your letter here. If you have any problems with the form, you can email it to [email protected]