Justice, Third Court of Appeals (Austin)

Maggie Ellis is a justice on the Third Court of Appeals in Austin, elected in 2024¹. She previously worked in private practice, as a prosecutor in the Travis County District Attorney's Office, and as an administrative law judge at the State Office of Administrative Hearings¹. She won the Democratic primary for Chief Justice over Cory Carlyle and faces Republican incumbent Jimmy Blacklock²³.

• Justice, Third Court of Appeals, Place 2, elected 2024; on the court since January 2025¹⁴⁸
• Administrative Law Judge, State Office of Administrative Hearings; prosecutor, Travis County District Attorney's Office¹⁴
• Private practice focused on juvenile and family law; handled cases involving divorce, child custody, contract disputes, federal education law, felony criminal cases and termination of parental rights¹⁴
• Board certified in juvenile law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization; chair of the State Bar Juvenile Law Section board¹
• JD, Baylor Law School¹
• Elected to the Third Court of Appeals, Place 2 in 2024¹. In the May 2024 Democratic primary runoff she defeated incumbent Justice Edward Smith, about 65 to 35 percent⁸. In the November 2024 general election she defeated Republican John Messinger, who The Texas Tribune reported narrowly lost⁹.
• 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: Jimmy Blacklock 1,678 votes, Maggie Ellis 1,259, Cory L. Carlyle 894 (Carlyle lost the Democratic primary)⁵⁶.