Chari Kelly, a Democrat and justice on the Texas Third Court of Appeals, is running for Texas Supreme Court Justice, Place 2, in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The Secretary of State’s certified ballot lists Republican James P. Sullivan as her opponent and identifies the contest as an unexpired term.

Kelly submitted a Surround Sound Media questionnaire on Oct. 1. Asked why she is seeking office, she wrote: “I am running for the Texas Supreme Court because Texans deserve an independent judiciary that applies the law consistently and fairly.”

Experience and education

According to her official court biography, Kelly has served on the Third Court of Appeals since Jan. 1, 2019. Before joining the bench, she prosecuted felony cases in Travis and Comal counties and worked in the Texas Attorney General’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Division.

The court biography describes her prior service as a U.S. Army paratrooper, captain and Judge Advocate General’s Corps defense attorney. It also identifies her as board certified in Judicial Administration and Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

In her questionnaire, Kelly listed a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida in 1999 and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2002. She said she was elected to her current court in 2018 and reelected in 2024.

Approach to the job

Kelly said in her questionnaire that she has authored more than 800 appellate opinions. She cited that experience and her courtroom background as reasons she believes she can serve on the state’s highest civil court.

“After nearly eight years on the Third Court of Appeals, I believe my appellate experience, courtroom background, and record of independence would bring a valuable perspective to our state’s highest civil court,” she wrote.

Asked about accomplishments, Kelly cited rulings concerning the Attorney General’s legal accountability and the Governor’s Disaster Act authority. She also said she helped secure a $19.9 million Medicaid fraud settlement while working as an assistant attorney general. These descriptions are her account of her record in the submitted questionnaire.

Responses are based on public data and answers to a Surround Sound Media questionnaire if they were provided.