Texas general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for Justice, 6th Court of Appeals District, Place 3 in 2026?

Here are the candidates for Justice, 6th Court of Appeals District, Place 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in 6th Court of Appeals District.

Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions. How to research a judge.

Charles Van Cleef

Republican · Incumbent

Justice, Sixth Court of Appeals, Place 3 (Texarkana)

Charles van Cleef (listed on the certification as Charles Van Cleef; Republican) sits on the Sixth Court of Appeals in Place 3 according to the court's own page², and is the only candidate for the seat on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹. The court's page says he was born in Fort Worth, raised in Tyler and has lived in Longview for over 20 years, and earned a law degree from South Texas College of Law in 1992².

Justice, Sixth Court of Appeals, Place 3, since his appointment in April 2022²³
Private practice in State and federal courts in East Texas, trial and appellate; earlier work for the federal court in Tyler²
Member of the State Bar of Texas since 1993, per the court's page²
JD, South Texas College of Law (1992); BA in Economics, University of Texas at Austin²
Per the Governor's 2022 appointment notice: former member of the Gregg County Bail Bond Board and the Tyler Planning and Zoning Committee³
Appointed to the Sixth Court of Appeals, Place 3, by Governor Greg Abbott in April 2022 for a term set to expire on December 31, 2022 or until a successor was elected²³.

Last reviewed 2026-10-10. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.