Waco judge running for chief justice of the intermediate appellate court

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – Justice Matt Johnson of Waco’s 10th Court of Appeals announced Thursday that he will run for chief justice of the intermediate appellate court in the March 2024 Republican primary.

Johnson, 60, has been on the three-justice panel for three years and served as 54th State District Judge for 14 years before that.

Tom Gray, 67, also a Republican, has been 10th Court chief justice for 20 years. He did not respond to phone messages and text messages for the past three days, leaving his plans to seek re-election unclear.

Johnson, who also has worked as a 10th Court briefing attorney, a felony prosecutor and a justice of the peace, announced his candidacy for chief justice on the first-floor rotunda of the McLennan County Courthouse in an event attended by a number of supporters, current and former elected officials and his wife, Melissa.

He was introduced by retired State District Judge Ralph Strother, who is currently an assistant district attorney. Strother said Johnson is a hard-working, conservative family man who managed his docket efficiently as a district judge and now does so as an appellate court justice.

“When you are a trial judge, you have to make decisions many times on the spur of the moment,” Strother said. “Justice Johnson never hesitated to make those decisions and I can tell you as a trial judge, it is very important to have on the appellate bench judges who have been not only trial lawyers but trial judges. It makes a big difference to our administration of justice.”

Johnson is a fourth-generation Texan, born and raised in Central Texas, whose father, Derwood Johnson, served as 74th State District judge for 25 years. A history buff, Johnson recently published a book chronicling the construction of McLennan County’s majestic 122-year-old courthouse.

“I am asking the voters to place their faith in me so that I can better lead this important and vital court here in Texas and this area of Texas,” Johnson said. “Throughout my legal career and my years of service as a judge, I’ve had three primary priorities and principles that make a judge an effective judge. First, the rule of law is paramount. Second, justice delayed is justice denied and integrity is fundamental.”

Johnson said the rule of law is what sets our country apart from dictators and authoritarians.

“It ensures that our God-Given rights are upheld and dictates that men and women in robes should not make law, but follow law that has been written in the constitution and in our statutes,” he said. “Respecting the rule of law requires  humility on the part of a judge and commitment to exercising judicial restraint and never, ever engage in judicial activism.”

Johnson said his mantra for the past three years he has been on the court is “justice delayed is justice denied.” He said as chief justice, he will bring new leadership and discipline and establish new systems and timelines that will deliver justice in a speedier fashion.

“I have always kept in mind that the people come to the court looking for a decision, and they deserve to have it in a timely manner,” Johnson said. “When judges delay decisions or stall in deliberating, sometimes for years, it is absolutely unfair to the litigants. Some actually have their lives placed on hold until a court renders a decision, and that is not proper.”

Johnson said the integrity of the court system and its judges should never come into question.

“Judges should always be on guard for abuses or attempts to weaponize the judicial system or the courts. In the past even when faced with personal threats, I didn’t back down. I didn’t back away. I didn’t turn from my duties. I saw that justice was done,” he said.

The 10th Court of Appeals covers 18 Central Texas counties, including Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Johnson, Leon, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Navarro, Robertson, Somervell and Walker.