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Endorses Liu
The race
Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals, sitting in Austin, which hears civil and criminal appeals from 24 Central Texas counties. Six-year term, November 3, 2026. Verified roster: Darlene Byrne (D), the incumbent chief justice, vs. Cory Liu (R).
Darlene Byrne — Incumbent. Chief Justice since 2020, after 20 years presiding over the 126th District Court. Texas ABOTA Judge of the Year (2023), past president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, board certified in judicial administration (2025), UH Law 1987. The State Bar comparison table's 2026 bar-poll line is lopsided: Byrne 536 (79%) to Liu 146 (21%) — the lawyers who practice before this court prefer her by nearly four to one, and that is a fact her opponent's side must answer, not wave off. Her stated philosophy: courts are "a safe place for all to come to receive justice," decided by "fair and impartial judges… compassionate to the people coming before them," and the court is "nonpolitical." She answered Vote411 in full. Dirt check: no discipline found. The honest con: she now publicly leads the appeals courts' plea for 76 additional staff attorneys statewide — an administrator's request that collides with legislative demands for cuts; voters who prioritize lean courts will price that against her.
Cory Liu — Challenger. Judge of the 250th District Court (Travis County) — a sitting Republican trial judge in deep-blue Austin, which is itself a service fact. Harvard Law 2015; earlier work in the Governor's general counsel's office (under then-counsel Jimmy Blacklock), a Texas Supreme Court clerkship, and the Solicitor General's office. Dirt check: no discipline found — but a documented responsiveness gap: Liu did not respond to the Vote411 questionnaire (philosophy and precedent questions both marked "candidate has not yet responded"), while the incumbent answered. In a chief-justice race, declining the public questionnaire is a record entry, and we print it as one.
Pros and cons
Byrne: Pros: Six years as chief justice plus 20 on the trial bench; Judge of the Year; a 79% bar-poll verdict; full questionnaire answers and an explicitly nonpolitical court ethos. Cons: Leads the judiciary's staffing-expansion plea against a cutting legislature; a compassion-forward philosophy statement with no textualist commitment. Liu: Pros: Sitting trial judge; SG's-office and Supreme Court clerkship pedigree; the Governor's-counsel tradition of law-as-written. Cons: The bar poll is a rout (21%); no Vote411 answers; no appellate service; the thinnest public philosophy file of any Republican appellate candidate in this batch.
OUR CALL
Our call: endorse Cory Liu. This is the hardest call in the batch, and we do not pretend otherwise. Byrne's ledger — tenure, honors, bar standing — is the strongest Democratic file in Texas judicial politics this cycle, and if bar preference decided elections she would win in a walk. Our doctrine decides otherwise: a Democrat earns our endorsement only on a proven break record, and Byrne's record, for all its distinction, is administrative excellence inside her party's judicial mainstream — no restrained-opinion or break file was documented. Liu is the aligned candidate: a sitting judge from the solicitor-general line. His questionnaire silence is priced above as a genuine debit; it does not outweigh direction on a court whose chief justice sets its culture.
Vote Liu.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- 2026 United States judicial elections — District 3 Chief Justice roster — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_judicial_elections
- Texas Secretary of State — 2026 Ballot Certification Report — https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/TXSOS/2026/08/28/file_attachments/3762756/2026%20Ballot%20Certification-final.pdf
- Texas Judges candidate comparison — 3rd Court Chief Justice (Byrne: chief since 2020, 126th Court 20 years, Judge of the Year 2023; Liu: 250th Court, Harvard Law 2015; 2026 bar poll Byrne 536/79%, Liu 146/21%) — https://texasjudges.org/2026-races/3rd-court-of-appeals-chief-justice/
- Law.com / Texas Lawyer — Liu faces Byrne (Oct. 12, 2026; Byrne: the court is nonpolitical) — https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2026/10/12/judge-versus-judge-cory-liu-faces-darlene-byrne-on-austin-reelection-ballot/
- Vote411 — 3rd Court Chief Justice guide (Byrne answered; Liu: no response on philosophy/precedent) — https://onyourballot.vote411.org/race-detail.do?id=25559982
- Bloomberg Law — Appeals courts' staffing plea collides with cut demands (Byrne quoted leading the request) — https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/texas-appeals-courts-staffing-plea-collides-with-cut-demands
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.