Bert Richardson received his law degree from St. Mary’s University and worked as an Assistant District Attorney for Bexar County. He served as a judge in the 379th District Court for nearly a decade before he was elected to Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals in 2014. He’s now retiring from his statewide bench seat and running for the chief justice position on a lower appellate court.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
My name is Bert Richardson. I am currently a Judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA – the State high court for criminal cases). I am 69 years old. I have been a resident of San Antonio for over 50 years.
I was raised in an Air Force family, have lived in Europe and South America for 10 years, I served a two-year mission for my church in Argentina, and I am fluent in Spanish. I am active in my church and a frequent speaker at State Bar conferences and all levels of schools across the State.
I am an avid photographer, was an assistant photo editor of my university yearbook and am frequently published in state and national running publications, as well as the State Bar Journal and other legal publications.
I worked my way through undergraduate and law school in my mother’s fine art gallery, as a photographer, bullet-proofing cars, an employee of Southwest Airlines and as an intern in the Bexar County DA’s Office. My wife, Terri, is a retired teacher and school, city and SAWS administrator and we have one son.
2. Describe your educational background.
Because my father was in the USAF, I attended six elementary schools, two middle schools and four high schools before graduating from Judson High School in Converse, Texas.
I have an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University, and I graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. I am Board Certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
3. Describe your professional experience, what type of law you’ve practiced and noteworthy accomplishments.
I have been a Judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) since 2015. From 1988 to 1999 I was a trial and appellate lawyer while serving as an Assistant District Attorney for Bexar County and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
I was appointed to the 379th District Court of Bexar County in 1999 by Gov. Bush. From 2009-2014, I served as a Senior Visiting Judge in over fifty counties across Texas presiding over civil and criminal cases. I was an adjunct professor at San Antonio College, St. Mary’s University School of Law for over 20 years prior to being elected to the TCCA.
I was named a St. Mary’s School of Law Distinguished Law Graduate in 2015 and in 2022 was the recipient of their annual Rosewood Gavel Award, awarded to an outstanding St. Mary’s Judge for their contribution to our system of constitutional democracy. I have extensive experience in death penalty and wrongful conviction cases at the trial and appellate levels.
My opinion in the wrongful conviction of Kerry Max Cook was featured in John Grisham’s best seller, FRAMED.
4. Philosophically, how do you balance the public’s desire for restitution in all types of crimes, while also providing a productive path forward for offenders who don’t pose a danger to the public?
I am running for Chief Justice of the Fourth Court of Appeals. These are issues that trial judges have the authority to rule upon. Although I was a trial judge for over 15 years, these are not legal matters or issues the Fourth Court of Appeals has any authority to rule upon.
5. Why are you seeking this office, and why did you decide to be a candidate in the political party you chose?
I am a resident of San Antonio and will have served on the State high court in Austin for twelve years at the end of 2026. I would like to work closer to home at this point in my career. Based on my answers to previous questions, I am qualified for the position and most importantly, I enjoy the legal work I have performed as an appellate judge for the last eleven years. The current Chief of the Fourth Court is not running for reelection, and I have been asked by several leaders in the legal community to run for this position.
In 1999 I was appointed by Gov. Bush to the 379th Bexar County District Court as a Republican. I have been elected statewide as a Republican in 2014 and 2020. The Republican Party judicial philosophy is consistent with my views of the role of judges in our society. Specifically, that role is that judges faithfully follow the Constitutions and laws of the United States and Texas and that the legislature makes the laws.
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