Democrat · Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2 (Unexpired Term)

Chari Kelly

No verified campaign links found

Record verified Sept. 24, 2026 · Corrections welcome

Chari Kelly is the Democratic candidate for Justice, Supreme Court, Place 2 (Unexpired Term) in the November 3, 2026 general election. Justice on the 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 3. The office decides civil and juvenile appeals on the state's highest civil court.

Chari Kelly’s sourced public-service history includes Justice, Place 3 in Third Court of Appeals from 2019 to the present. Her earlier prosecutor and assistant attorney general work was employment, not a public office.

Reported coverage

Coverage

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

Interview/Guide · The Texas Tribune · February 3, 2026

Texas Supreme Court 2026 primary guide

A reported guide to the candidates’ legal careers, campaign messages, finance, and notable records.

Record partial · Reviewed September 24, 2026

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

Judicial record at a glance

Judicial experience: Third Court since 2019
Legal / government background: Prosecutor · AG · CCA · JAG
Judicial philosophy: Campaign: defend the Constitution
Campaign finance: $74,328 cash on hand
Hometown / home base: Austin
Rights / notable record: Heard Paxton whistleblower dispute

Major donor context

Susan Miller · Debra Shivers

Texas Supreme Court 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): 00082085
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: 7 years

Justice, Place 3 · Third Court of Appeals
2019-01-01 – present · Justices (Third Court of Appeals)

Her earlier prosecutor and assistant attorney general work was employment, not a public office.

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
Justice on the 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 3.
TexasJudges.org: Supreme Court Place 2

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