The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued six opinions from Feb. 20-26. The Texas Supreme Court issued two opinions from Feb. 20-26. Both courts are the state’s courts of last resort. As of Feb. 26, the court of criminal appeals issued63 opinions in 2023—29 more than this point a year ago. The supreme court issued14 opinions as of Feb. 26, 2023—five fewer than this point a year ago.
From Feb. 20-26, state supreme courts issued 154 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 45. State supreme courts in 19 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 97 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 57.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court are the state’s courts of last resort. The former is the state’s court of last resort for criminal matters, while the latter is the state’s court of last resort for civil matters; both have nine judgeships. Sharon Keller and Nathan Hecht are the current chiefs of the criminal and supreme courts, respectively. Combined, the courts issued 413 opinions in 2022 and 536 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,224 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 781 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 443. Texas is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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