Waco, TX – On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Judge Lee Harris of Hill County to fill a vacancy on Waco’s 10th Court of Appeals. The seat became available when Justice Matt Johnson was elevated to chief justice after voters promoted him to the position.
Judge Harris, 57, has served as the judge of the 66th State District Court in Hillsboro since January 2015. He will now assume the role left vacant by Johnson, with his term on the appellate court set to run through December 2026.
Justice Matt Johnson, who transitioned to chief justice on January 1, replaced Tom Gray, who retired after a distinguished tenure on the court. Gray had served since 1999, with his tenure as chief justice lasting from 2003 until his retirement.
In his statement, Harris expressed gratitude for the appointment, calling it a great honor. “It is my privilege to have been entrusted by Governor Abbott with such a prestigious role in the 10th Court,” he said. “I look forward to the great challenge of transitioning from the trial bench to the appellate bench.” Harris also noted his longstanding professional relationships with Justices Johnson and Smith, who both welcomed his appointment.
Justice Johnson praised Harris’s qualifications, highlighting his extensive experience as a trial judge and his academic contributions as an instructor at Baylor Law School. “Judge Lee Harris has extensive experience as a trial judge and a Baylor Law School instructor. With his background, he brings a valuable combination of practical application of the law and academia to the court,” Johnson said. “He is a person of faith, integrity, and honesty, and we look forward to working with him.”
The third member of the court, Justice Steve Smith, also offered his support for Harris’s appointment. “I am extremely pleased that the governor has selected Lee Harris as the new justice for our court,” Smith remarked. “Having known Lee for a number of years, I have great respect for his service in Hill County. He will be a great asset to the 10th Court of Appeals.”
Before his tenure as a state district judge, Harris served as the first County Court-at-Law judge in Hill County from 2005 to 2014. He also worked as a partner in the law firm Moore & Harris and served as district attorney pro tem of Hill County from 1999 to 2005, where he prosecuted over 600 felony cases.
Harris, a Baylor Law School graduate, is also an adjunct professor in the Baylor Law School practice court program. In 2022, he was honored with the Baylor Law Jaworski Fellow of the Year Award. In addition to his legal work, Harris is an avid hunter and is known for offering hunting experiences to wounded warriors, law enforcement officers, and terminally ill individuals at his ranch near Whitney.
As Harris begins his new role on the 10th Court of Appeals, the court, which handles civil and criminal appeals from 18 Central Texas counties, will benefit from his extensive legal experience and dedication to both the legal profession and his community.
