Texas / Court of Criminal Appeals

Agency file

Court of Criminal Appeals

Source file: Texas — State Employee Salaries (Texas Tribune) / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Court of Criminal Appeals operates the court system — adjudicating cases and maintaining judicial records.

In 2026, this agency had 70 employees with median total compensation of $153,607; the highest distinct record was $266,700.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $9.2M
Employees: 70
Median total: $153,607
Highest record: $266,700

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$49,799$252,000+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 70 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($153,607) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $131,984 (100%)
Overtime — $0 (0%)
Other — $0 (0%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$72,893

$82,909

$153,607

$210,000

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $210,000 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $72,893. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Attorney IV

26 · $153,607

Court Law Clerk II

9 · $83,711

Judge

8 · $252,000

Executive Assistant II

8 · $72,893

Deputy Clerk IV

7 · $75,000

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2025	$7.7M —	65 —	$136,710 —
2026	$9.2M ▲ 20.3%	70 ▲ 7.7%	$153,607 ▲ 12.4%

Compare

Similar departments

Departments elsewhere with the most similar mix of roles — a proxy for the same kind of agency, matched by workforce composition rather than name. Pay is not cost-of-living adjusted.

Supreme Court Texas81% match
Office of Administrative Law California52% match
Public Defender City and County of San Francisco47% match
Public Defender Council, Georgia Georgia45% match
District Attorney Allegheny County, Pennsylvania42% match
Attorney General's Office South Carolina42% match

Record list

Employees

Page 1

David Schenck

Presiding Judge/Court of Criminal Appeals

2026 total comp

$266,700

Base pay: $266,700
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $266,700
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Class Code: J011
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2025
Monthly Pay: $22,225
State Employee Number: 29382

At Court of Criminal Appeals, David Schenck serves as a Presiding Judge. They work erf - exempt regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $266,700.

Robert Richardson

Judge/Court of Criminal Appeals

2026 total comp

$252,000

Base pay: $252,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $252,000
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Class Code: J010
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2015
Monthly Pay: $21,000
State Employee Number: 177481

Robert Richardson holds the role of Judge at Court of Criminal Appeals. Their status is erf - exempt regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $252,000.

Mary Keel

Judge/Court of Criminal Appeals

2026 total comp

$252,000

Base pay: $252,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $252,000
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: J010
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2017
Monthly Pay: $21,000
State Employee Number: 192177

Mary Keel works as a Judge for Court of Criminal Appeals. Their status is erf - exempt regular full-time. Mary earned $252,000 in 2026.

Kevin Yeary

Judge/Court of Criminal Appeals

2026 total comp

$252,000

Base pay: $252,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $252,000
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Class Code: J010
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2015
Monthly Pay: $21,000
State Employee Number: 780005

Kevin Yeary holds the role of Judge at Court of Criminal Appeals. Their status is erf - exempt regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $252,000.

David Newell

Judge/Court of Criminal Appeals

2026 total comp

$252,000

Base pay: $252,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $252,000
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Class Code: J010
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2015
Monthly Pay: $21,000
State Employee Number: 780509

David Newell is a Judge at Court of Criminal Appeals. They work erf - exempt regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $252,000.

Richard Walker

Judge/Court of Criminal Appeals

2026 total comp

$252,000

Base pay: $252,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $252,000
Employment type: Erf - Exempt Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Class Code: J010
Hire Date: Jan 1, 2017
Monthly Pay: $21,000
State Employee Number: 1053662

Richard Walker is a Judge at Court of Criminal Appeals. They work erf - exempt regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $252,000.