Who is running for Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 5 in 2026?

Justice, Texas First Court of Appeals, Place 5

Amparo "Amy" Guerra has been a justice on the Texas First Court of Appeals, Place 5, since January 1, 2021, after winning the seat in November 2020¹³. Before taking the bench she practiced law for nearly 20 years handling complex civil litigation in state and federal courts, and she served part time as an Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Houston from 2005 to 2010¹². She is running for re-election against Republican Jessica Caird³.

• Justice, Texas First Court of Appeals, Place 5, since January 1, 2021¹³
• Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Houston, 2005 to 2010, appointed at age 28 and serving part time while practicing law full time¹²
• Nearly 20 years handling complex civil litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts; named a Texas Super Lawyer in Business Litigation; became the first Hispanic partner at her law firm¹²
• Interned with and clerked for U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela, Southern District of Texas¹
• B.A., Latin American Studies and Sociology, Rice University; J.D., University of Houston Law Center, 2002; licensed in Texas since November 2002¹⁵
• Guerra defeated incumbent Republican Terry Adams in the November 3, 2020 general election for Place 5 of the First Court of Appeals, with 50.1 percent of the vote, and took office January 1, 2021³. She is running for re-election in 2026 against Republican Jessica Caird³.
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll is a non-binding survey of HBA members' preferences, and the HBA states it is not an endorsement. The 2026 poll was open as of September 27, 2026, closes October 2, 2026, and results are due October 9, 2026; no results had been published as of this writing⁴.

Chief, Appellate Division, Harris County District Attorney's Office

Jessica Caird is Chief of the Appellate Division at the Harris County District Attorney's Office, where she has worked as an assistant district attorney since 1998, first as a trial prosecutor and since 2006 in appellate work¹². She has not previously held judicial office. She is the Republican nominee for Place 5 of the Texas First Court of Appeals against incumbent Democrat Amy Guerra³.

• Chief of the Appellate Division, Harris County District Attorney's Office, overseeing criminal and civil appellate matters (current)²
• Appellate attorney at the Harris County District Attorney's Office since 2006; her campaign says she has written more than 440 briefs for the State, including two death penalty cases affirmed on appeal¹
• Trial prosecutor, Harris County District Attorney's Office, from 1998, including almost 3 years as a chief prosecutor in the Juvenile Division¹
• Admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court; has argued 30 times before the local courts of appeals and 4 times before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, according to her campaign¹
• J.D., University of Houston Law Center, 1998; licensed in Texas since November 1998¹⁵
• Caird has not previously held judicial office. She advanced unopposed from the Republican primary on March 3, 2026, and faces incumbent Democrat Amy Guerra in the November 3, 2026 general election for Place 5 of the Texas First Court of Appeals³.
• Bar poll: The Houston Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll is a non-binding survey of HBA members' preferences, and the HBA states it is not an endorsement. The 2026 poll was open as of September 27, 2026, closes October 2, 2026, and results are due October 9, 2026; no results had been published as of this writing⁴.