April L. Farris, a Republican, is running for a full term as justice of the Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals, Place 3, in the general election.
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Farris as one of the inaugural members of the statewide Fifteenth Court of Appeals, effective Sept. 1, 2024, for a term set to expire Dec. 31, 2026. She faces Democrat Marc M. Meyer.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: Texas Appeals Court Justice, District 15, Place 3
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Education: Juris doctor, cum laude, Harvard Law School (2009); bachelor's degree in integrated marketing communications, Abilene Christian University (2006)
- Hometown: Raised in Big Spring, Texas, according to her campaign website
- Recognition: Named Abilene Christian University's Young Alumna of the Year for 2025, according to her Federalist Society biography. In 2020, named a Law360 appellate Rising Star, one of five attorneys nationally to receive the honor that year. Recognized in appellate law by Best Lawyers in America and Thomson Reuters' Super Lawyers while in private practice.
Experience and public service
Before joining the bench, Farris worked as an appellate partner at Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston from 2018 to 2021. She previously served as an assistant solicitor general at the Texas Attorney General's office from 2014 to 2015 and clerked for Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 2009 to 2010.
Abbott appointed Farris to the First Court of Appeals in 2021. She won election to that court in 2022 before her 2024 appointment to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals.
Farris is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a member of the American Law Institute, according to the governor's office announcement. She serves as a mentor judge for Afghan refugee judges resettled in Texas through the National Association of Women Judges.
Her campaign website states she is a member of the State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee, serves on the editorial board of The Advocate (a State Bar of Texas Appellate Section publication), sits on the executive committee for the Garland R. Walker Inn of Court in Houston and serves as a trustee for the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society.
She has taught as an adjunct instructor on the First Amendment at South Texas College of Law and taught a course on the origins of the federal Constitution at the University of Texas School of Law in 2025.
On the issues
Judicial philosophy: Farris said on her campaign website that she believes every Texan deserves equal treatment under the law and a fair, impartial judge. "That's the promise I work to uphold every day," Farris said, according to the site.
Legislation: Farris said in a BallotReady response that she believes judges should interpret the law as written. Her role, she said, "is not to impose personal views or policy preferences, but to fairly and consistently apply the law in every case."
Criminal justice and public safety: Farris gave a similar answer on this topic, saying she hopes to earn support as a judge who "works to uphold the rule of law and refuses to legislate from the bench," according to her BallotReady response.
Endorsements
Farris has received endorsements from the Houston Police Officers' Union, the Texas Home School Coalition, the Houston Realty Business Coalition, the Texas Alliance for Life and the Conservative Coalition of Harris County, according to BallotReady.
The Allen Record candidate questionnaire was sent to April L. Farris's campaign. No response was received as of Oct. 12, 2026. The policy positions below are drawn from her public campaign website and public records.
