Sarah Beth Landau, a Democrat, is running for chief justice of the 14th Court of Appeals in the Nov. 3 general election. Republican Kevin Jewell is also in the race.

Asked why she is seeking the office, Landau said in our candidate questionnaire, "I served as a Justice on the Court of Appeals for six years and I have a lot more I want to do. I would like to make the court's website more functional for practitioners and more transparent for the community, to pay the law student interns, to implement clerk's office practices of the United States Supreme Court, and to have the Houston Bar Association rate judicial candidates as 'highly qualified,' 'qualified,' and 'not qualified,' to help voters make informed choices."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat

Education: Landau said in our questionnaire, "I graduated from Columbia University School of Law. My undergraduate degrees are a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Minnesota, with honors. I was a member of Phi Beta Kappa."

Family: Landau said in our questionnaire, "I am married and have a three-year old."

Family in politics or government: "No," Landau said.

Experience and public service

Landau is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, according to Texas Judges. She served as a justice on the Texas First Court of Appeals from 2019 to 2024, according to BallotReady profile data.

Asked about her occupation and work history, Landau said in our questionnaire, "I am a civil appellate lawyer at Roberts Markland LLP. Most of my career was as a Federal Public Defender, doing trial and appellate work. I taught appellate litigation at Thurgood Marshall School of Law for seven years. Before that, I worked in commercial litigation at Vinson & Elkins. I began my career in Texas clerking for a federal judge in Houston."

On her time in elected office, Landau said, "I served as a Justice on the First Court of Appeals for six years. I reimagined and ran the law student intern program, I was on the hiring committee, and I brought briefwriting software to the court to make our opinions easier to read."

On the issues

What are the critical differences between you and other candidates seeking this post?

Landau said, "I'm the only person running with experience as broad as the court's jurisdiction. I've practiced in civil, criminal, family, and juvenile courts. I want to make the court more integrated into the community by inviting the public in for educational events. I also want to make the court more user friendly for practitioners."

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Landau said, "Before taking the bench, I handled over 400 appeals. While off the bench, I have had an active practice that allowed me to see some areas where the courts could improve. I also brought the first woman justice on the Pakistan Supreme Court to Houston for a free educational events. I had a lot of administrative responsibility on the court and am ready to tackle a bigger challenge."

The Houston Chronicle editorial board and the Houston Lawyers Association have endorsed Landau, according to their respective organizations.