Who is running for Texas Supreme Court, Place 7 in 2026?

Justice, Supreme Court of Texas, Place 7

Kyle D. Hawkins was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott in October 2025¹⁴. He previously served as Texas Solicitor General and as Counselor to the U.S. Solicitor General, and practiced appellate law at private firms¹. He is the Republican nominee for Place 7 and faces Democrat Kristen Hawkins²³.

• Justice, Supreme Court of Texas, since October 2025¹⁴
• Texas Solicitor General, 2018 to 2021; assistant solicitor general, 2017 to 2018⁴
• Counselor to the U.S. Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice¹
• Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; chaired the Texas appellate practice of Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP¹
• Law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Judge Edith H. Jones of the Fifth Circuit; argued five cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and nine in the Texas Supreme Court¹
• Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in October 2025¹⁴; unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary³.
• 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: Kristen Hawkins 1,705 votes, Kyle Hawkins 1,203, Gordon Goodman 674 (Goodman lost the Democratic primary)⁵⁶.

Judge, 11th District Court (Harris County)

Kristen Hawkins is judge of the 11th District Court in Harris County, a civil trial court, and was first elected in 2016²⁵. Before taking the bench she worked in civil litigation and ran her own private practice²⁴. She won the Democratic primary for Place 7 over Gordon Goodman and faces Republican incumbent Kyle Hawkins¹³.

• Judge, 11th District Court (Harris County), since 2017⁴
• Appointed to oversee two multidistrict litigation proceedings, including the Astroworld lawsuits⁴
• Served five years as a tax master presiding over delinquent property tax cases in Harris County⁴
• Civil litigation experience including medical malpractice, construction and mass tort cases; previously ran her own private practice focused on Social Security disability claims²⁴
• Board certified in civil trial law and personal injury trial law; law degree from South Texas College of Law²⁵
• First elected to the 11th District Court in 2016².
• 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: Kristen Hawkins 1,705 votes, Kyle Hawkins 1,203, Gordon Goodman 674 (Goodman lost the Democratic primary)⁶⁷.