The following are the complete and unedited responses submitted by the candidate listed below to the Amarillo Pioneer’s Candidate Questionnaire.
Photo by Chad Adams
Name: Holly Taylor
Office Sought: Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals
Party Affiliation: Democratic
Age: 57
Educational Background:
University of Texas School of Law
• JD, 1995; Dean’s Achievement Award: Highest Grade in International Law
University of Texas L.B.J. School of Public Affairs
• Master of Public Affairs, 1995; LBJ School Merit Fellowship
Rice University
• BA, 1989; National Merit Scholar
Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Occupation: Director, Public Integrity & Complex Crimes Division, Travis County District Attorney's Office
If you are a business owner, please list the business or businesses that you own.
not applicable
Please list any civic boards or commissions (non-profit, government, union, religious, political, etc.) on which you have served as a board member or equivalent.
• Austin Bar Association - Co-Chair Fourth Friday CLE Committee (planning and hosting monthly free CLE courses for the local bar) and served on other committees
• While I was the Rules Attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals, I served on the Court's Rules Advisory Committee (planning and organizing the meetings, agendas, and minutes); and attended meetings of the Texas Supreme Court's Advisory Committee with service on subcommittees
• Served on the subcommittee that drafted the revised Application Form for Felony Writs of Habeas Corpus adopted by the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2018 and used by thousands of writ applicants
• Member of the Senior Leadership Team at the Travis County District Attorney's Office
• Served on the faculty of continuing legal education conferences including the Robert O. Dawson Conference on Criminal Appeals; Texas State Bar’s Advanced Criminal Law Course; Center for American & International Law’s Criminal Writs & Habeas Training; and Texas District & County Attorney Association’s Advanced Appellate Advocacy Course
• Was a PTA Officer for Lee Elementary School and the President of the Band Parent Booster Club for McCallum High School and served on bylaws committee
• La Academia de Estrellas Board Member
Have you previously held or do you currently hold any elected office? If so, what office(s)?
I have not previously sought or held elected office, but I have served the public through my positions in state and county government, along with teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law. I was the Rules Attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals for four years, and I have also worked as a staff attorney for the Court. I am currently the Director of the Public Integrity and Complex Crimes Division of the Travis County District Attorney's Office.
If your campaign has any online campaign resources where voters can learn more about you, such as social media accounts or a website, please list them below.
https://www.hollytforjudge.com
https://facebook.com/hollytforjudge
https://instagram.com/hollytforjudge
https://tiktok.com/@hollytforjudge
Why did you decide to run for this office in 2024?
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is a court that many people know little to nothing about. Yet as the highest appellate court in Texas for criminal cases—and the court that decides the appeal of every Texas death penalty case—this court has an outsized impact on the criminal justice system. With thousands of post-conviction writs filed each year, the Court has a higher caseload than most other appellate courts in the nation. And the Presiding Judge of the Court has an especially influential role. She leads the Court as its administrative head and has a key role on other important boards, like the Texas Indigent Defense Commission and the Judicial Council.
It is critical that we have someone leading this important Court who understands the realities of practicing criminal law in the trial and appellate courts of Texas today. I have the trial and appellate experience in Texas courts and the values to be that leader.
Over the last quarter century, I have handled hundreds of criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies like sexual assault, child abuse, murder, and capital murder. I’ve litigated these cases in Texas district courts, courts of appeals, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and even the United States Supreme Court.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked to ensure that our laws are enforced fairly and justly, without regard to the status of the accused. I’ve prosecuted many violent criminals along with public officials who have abused the public trust in my roles with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. And I am proud of my work with the Conviction Integrity Unit, which investigates claims of wrongful conviction and seeks to exonerate innocent people in prison.
I have the scholarly expertise needed to lead the Court. I have headed up the District Attorney’s Appeals Team. I am board certified in criminal appellate law. I taught advanced legal writing to law students as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas. I’ve published legal papers and made many presentations over the years. Basically, I teach criminal law to other lawyers.
Further, I am ready to take on the big administrative and policy issues that the Presiding Judge encounters in her organizational role. I have a public policy background with a master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin. I learned much about the Court itself during the years I served as a staff attorney, as the Court’s Rules Attorney, and as a member of the Court’s Rules Advisory Committee. I headed up the committee that rewrote the form used by thousands of inmates to file writs of habeas corpus to make it more understandable and to comply with Texas law.
In short, my education, my years of relevant experience, and my values make me the right leader to tackle the critical issues facing the Court of Criminal Appeals today.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities in office?
I look forward to taking on the duties of Presiding Judge, fully and fairly evaluating the critical constitutional issues and other important legal and factual questions before the Court, giving due consideration to the constitutional rights of all litigants before the Court without bias or partiality. To effectively and efficiently implement these objectives, (1) I plan to guide the Court to more frequently entertain oral arguments, which is the public's window into the workings of the Court. As part of that plan, I hope to foster the Court's practice of hearing oral arguments in locations across the state, such as college campuses.
(2) As the former Rules Attorney for the Court, I understand the importance of the Court's rule-making function. I plan to re-institute regular Rules Advisory Committee meetings which are open for the public to attend and submit comments, while making the Court's operations more accessible to all Texans through investigating the option to provide Spanish language and sign language translation.
(3) Finally, with an eye toward improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Court’s work, I will put together a small team of judges and experienced court staff to study the court’s docket and procedures. Once the team has compiled the data, we will work collaboratively to come up with creative and dynamic solutions that preserve judicial integrity, impartiality, fairness, and independence, while moving the Court toward a more efficient and effective process.
What is an issue you believe has gone overlooked in your race and how will you address it if elected?
The three incumbent Republican judges running for reelection on the Court of Criminal Appeals were defeated by challengers from within their own party in the March 2024 primary. Media sources have reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton backed the challengers as part of his campaign to remove all of the judges who voted for a 2021 decision he did not like. In fact, Mr. Paxton stated on a True Texas Project Podcast in February of this year that “It was really challenging to recruit three people—it’s not like a high paying job … there’s no glory. No one knows who you are. There’s no real like reason to do this unless you believe in 'the cause.'” The incumbent judges stated that Mr. Paxton had misrepresented the facts surrounding the decision at issue in his public remarks. I express no position on the particular case or legal issues in the case.
However, I note that the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct requires that judges perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice and that they not allow any relationship to influence their judicial conduct or judgment. Further, judges should avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Mr. Paxton’s comments and the tremendous pressure placed on the judges on this Court—including death threats—causes me concern about the future of this Court and the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the judiciary in Texas. If I am elected, I plan to address any issues that arise that could create a conflict of interest or impede the ability of a jurist to decide a case fairly and impartially based on the facts and the rule of law. This will extend to working to ensure the safety of the judges, their families, and court staff. For my part, I intend to recuse from any case I handled as a prosecutor and any case handled by the Travis County District Attorney’s Office for a full year after taking the bench to avoid any appearance of impropriety. I believe we must safeguard the independence, impartiality, and integrity of our Texas courts, ensuring that all who come before them are treated with respect and humanity.
Do you have any notable endorsements you would like to highlight for voters?
In addition to notable Democratic and Progressive organizations, I am endorsed by the Houston Association of Women Attorneys, the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston, the Texas AFL-CIO COPE, the Houston Lawyers Association, the Austin Black Lawyers Association, the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin, the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFSCME Local 1624, and Beto O'Rourke.
Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position?
My career in criminal law bears out my core values of promoting just and equitable courts, addressing inequities in the criminal justice system, advancing criminal justice education, and working for a fair and unbiassed legal system. My public service bears out these core values, including my work with the Travis County District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit (seeking to hold individuals who abuse the public trust accountable) and Conviction Integrity Unit (working to remedy wrongful convictions). I have spent my over-25 years in public service practicing criminal and criminal appellate law, and I am Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Having served as Rules Attorney and Staff Attorney for the Court of Criminal Appeals, I have worked with all the judges on the Court. I have also taught advanced legal writing for future criminal lawyers at the University of Texas School of Law.
Yet my opponent is not predominantly a criminal law attorney. Though he has served on an intermediate appellate court, his specialization is in civil appellate law, not criminal. According to the Court of Criminal Appeals' website, he has never litigated a case in the Court he seeks to lead. His last run for elected office was for the Texas Supreme Court, a target better suited for his area of specialization.
On the other hand, I have litigated over 20 matters in the Court of Criminal Appeals and worked for years assisting the CCA judges with many of the most important cases and matters before the Court. In sum, my career has been focused on seeking justice and improving the criminal justice system. Serving on the Court of Criminal Appeals would be the natural culmination of my life's work.