Assistant State Prosecuting Attorney, Office of the State Prosecuting Attorney

John Messinger is an assistant state prosecuting attorney who has worked in the Office of the State Prosecuting Attorney since 2011⁴⁵. He won the Republican primary for Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9 over Dallas County Judge Jennifer Balido³. He faces Democrat Holly Taylor for the seat held by Judge David Newell, who is not seeking reelection¹⁵.

• Office of the State Prosecuting Attorney since 2011, representing the state before the Court of Criminal Appeals and intermediate appellate courts⁴⁵
• Earlier in the McLennan County District Attorney's Office, handling direct appeals, protective orders and other civil matters⁴⁵
• Has filed more than 100 petitions for discretionary review with the Court of Criminal Appeals; chairs the State Bar's Pattern Jury Charges, Criminal Committee²⁴
• Graduate of Baylor Law School⁴
• Not a sitting judge; seeking an open seat. He ran for the Third Court of Appeals, Place 2 in 2024 and narrowly lost the general election⁵.
• Bar poll: State Bar of Texas 2026 Judicial Poll, final vote summary dated February 10, 2026. This was a non-binding straw poll of State Bar members on contested races, taken before the March 3 primary; the Bar describes it as a preference poll only, not an endorsement. Results: Holly Taylor 1,529 votes, Jennifer Balido 951, John Messinger 799 (Balido lost the Republican primary)⁶⁷.