The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued 11 opinions from Jan. 30-Feb 5. The Texas Supreme Court issued one opinion from Jan. 30-Feb. 5. Both courts are the state’s courts of last resort. As of Feb. 5, the court of criminal appeals issued 41 opinions in 2023—14 more than this point a year ago. The supreme court issued six opinions as of Feb. 5, 2023—three fewer than this point a year ago.
From Jan. 30-Feb. 5, state supreme courts issued 113 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 31. State supreme courts in 20 states issued the fewest opinions with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 66 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 47.
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 638 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 378 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 260. Texas is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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