Democrat · Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4

Audra Riley

No verified campaign links found

Record verified Sept. 24, 2026 · Corrections welcome

Audra Riley is the Democratic candidate for Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4 in the November 3, 2026 general election. Judge of Criminal District Court No. 3. The office decides criminal appeals, including every death-penalty case, on the state's highest criminal court.

Audra Riley’s sourced public-service history includes Judge, Criminal District Court No. 3 in Dallas County from 2021 to the present. Start date is from the Texas State Directory; the Dallas County court page confirms she presides but gives no date. No earlier public office was found.

Reported coverage

Coverage

Credible reporting and clearly labeled analysis, opinion, interviews, and guides.

Interview/Guide · The Texas Tribune · February 12, 2026

Court of Criminal Appeals 2026 primary guide

A reported guide to the candidates’ criminal-law experience, professional backgrounds, and campaigns.

Record partial · Reviewed September 24, 2026

Photo: Candidate or public-record portrait via TexasJudges.org

Judicial record at a glance

Criminal-law experience: Felony trial judge since 2021
Prosecution / defense background: Prosecution + defense
Judicial philosophy: Campaign: justice and integrity
Campaign finance: $478 cash on hand
Hometown / home base: Dallas
Notable justice record: Sitting felony trial judge

Major donor context

None reported

Court of Criminal Appeals 2026 primary guide · REPORTED · reviewed September 24, 2026

Civil liberties

No public info found

Campaign-finance audit

Filing review and source trail

Partial review · checked September 24, 2026

The candidate’s available 2025–2026 TEC reports were reviewed through June 30, 2026. No explicitly identified pro-Israel PAC receipt was located; that finding does not establish a corporate-PAC-free campaign.

Source details

Filing system: TEC
Review period: 20250101 through 20260630
Filing ID(s): 00083240
Review scope: Partial: PAC-name screening of the 2025–2026 Texas Ethics Commission reports through June 30, 2026 is done. Review of large individual donors and full PAC and independent-spending tracing is still outstanding.

How we checked

Matched the candidate's Texas Ethics Commission filer ID and 2025–2026 reports in the September 24, 2026 bulk export.
Screened contributor names for identified Israel-policy organizations; a plain word search was rejected because it matched donor surnames.
Outstanding: list every PAC contributor, review individual donors giving $25,000 or more against independent advocacy sources, and trace independent spending.

PAC & IE receipts

Direct AIPAC, other pro-Israel PAC, IE support and IE opposition remain separate.

View receipts →

Major donor context

No public info found

Israel-linked financial actions

No public info found

Muslim community engagement

We found no public record of an in-person engagement or organized policy work with a Muslim organization in the sources reviewed through September 24, 2026.

Years in public office: 5 years

Judge, Criminal District Court No. 3 · Dallas County
2021-01-01 – present · Criminal District Court No. 3 (Dallas County)

Start date is from the Texas State Directory; the Dallas County court page confirms she presides but gives no date. No earlier public office was found.

Completed years of elected or appointed government service as of September 24, 2026, with overlapping terms counted once.

What to know

Certified for the November 3, 2026 ballot as the Democratic candidate.
2026 General Election statewide sample ballot
Judge of Criminal District Court No. 3.
TexasJudges.org: Court of Criminal Appeals Place 4

We are reviewing opinions, briefs and professional records for this judicial race. We do not infer a judge's position from party affiliation.

Sources under review

TexasJudges.org race index · REFERENCE

Written OpinionsOpen