Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 4

Governor Greg Abbott appointed David Gunn to the First Court of Appeals, Place 4, on September 3, 2024, for a term ending December 31, 2026, and he joined the court in October 2024¹². He previously spent more than two decades practicing appellate law as a partner at the Beck Redden law firm in Houston, and earlier worked as a court attorney for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals from 1987 to 1990¹. He is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for the remainder of the Place 4 term against Democrat Julie Countiss³.

• Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 4, appointed September 2024; joined the court in October 2024¹²
• Partner, Beck Redden LLP (Houston), practicing appellate law for more than two decades; earlier a partner at Hogan Dubose & Townsend and Rothenberg & Gunn; argued in the Texas Supreme Court more than 30 times and in the Fifth, Tenth, and Federal Circuits¹²
• Court attorney, 14th Court of Appeals, 1987-1990¹
• Board certified in civil appellate law; fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers; member, State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charge Committee¹
• Former city council member and Zoning Board of Adjustment member, Hilshire Village²
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Texas; M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; J.D., Baylor Law School; LL.M., University of Houston Law Center¹
• Appointed by Governor Greg Abbott (R) to the 1st Court of Appeals, Place 4, on September 3, 2024, for a term set to expire December 31, 2026². He is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot for the unexpired portion of that term against Democratic nominee Julie Countiss³.
• Bar poll: State Bar of Texas 2026 Judicial Poll, final vote summary dated February 10, 2026, taken before the March 3, 2026 primary. This was a non-binding straw poll of State Bar members and is a preference poll only, not an endorsement. For 1st Court of Appeals, Place 4 (unexpired term): Julie Countiss 529 votes, David Gunn 446 votes⁴. The Houston Bar Association's 2026 Judicial Preference Poll, a non-binding poll of HBA members on contested judicial races that the HBA says is not an endorsement, was open as of September 27, 2026, with results due October 9, 2026; no results were published as of this writing⁵.