Who is running for Justice, 13th Court of Appeals District, Place 6 in 2026?

Attorney, in-house counsel for McAllen ISD

John Ball is a McAllen attorney who is double board certified in criminal law and family law and formerly served in the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office⁵. He was elected to the McAllen ISD Board of Trustees before running for this seat and is listed as in-house counsel for McAllen ISD⁵³. He is the Democratic nominee for the Thirteenth Court of Appeals, Place 6, against incumbent Clarissa Silva¹³.

• In-house counsel, McAllen ISD, per the 2026 candidate comparison³
• Private practice focused on criminal and family law; earlier served in the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office, Border Prosecution Unit⁵
• Board certified in both criminal law and family law⁵
• Elected to the McAllen Independent School District Board of Trustees before running for the court of appeals⁵
• JD, St. Mary's University School of Law, with a concentration in criminal law; undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University⁵
• Has not served as a judge. He is the Democratic nominee for Place 6 on the Thirteenth Court of Appeals¹³.
• Bar poll: State Bar of Texas 2026 Judicial Poll, final vote summary dated February 10, 2026. This is a non-binding preference poll of State Bar members, not an endorsement. Results for 13th District Court of Appeals Place 6: John Ball 100 votes, Clarissa Silva 64².

Justice, Thirteenth Court of Appeals, Place 6

Clarissa Silva is a justice of the Thirteenth Court of Appeals, Place 6, elected in 2020⁶. She is a former Nueces County prosecutor and worked in the San Patricio County Attorney's Office before taking the bench⁶. She is the Republican nominee seeking re-election against Democrat John Ball¹³.

• Justice, Thirteenth Court of Appeals, Place 6, elected 2020; her campaign says she has authored more than 550 opinions in civil and criminal cases from the court's twenty counties⁶
• Began her career at the Nueces County District Attorney's Office handling juvenile matters and abuse, neglect and exploitation cases; later at the San Patricio County Attorney's Office representing the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services⁶
• Board certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2015⁶
• JD, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University; bachelor's degree in criminal justice, University of Texas at San Antonio⁶
• Elected to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals in 2020⁶; in 2018 she ran for Place 5 against Gina Benavides and received 46.96 percent of the vote⁷. She is now running for re-election⁵.
• Bar poll: State Bar of Texas 2026 Judicial Poll, final vote summary dated February 10, 2026. This is a non-binding preference poll of State Bar members, not an endorsement. Results for 13th District Court of Appeals Place 6: John Ball 100 votes, Clarissa Silva 64².