A Travis County judge ruled that the Republican Party of Texas properly rejected a candidate’s application to run for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court, dissolving a temporary restraining order and denying further injunctive relief.
Judge Amy Meachum ruled that the party acted within its authority—a decision that keeps David Rogers, a Pflugerville City Council member, off the Republican primary ballot for Texas Supreme Court, Place 8. Rogers had sought to challenge incumbent Brett Busby.
Rogers had briefly secured a temporary restraining order late last week that paused certain election-related actions. On Monday, however, Meachum dissolved that order and declined to issue a temporary injunction, allowing the Republican Party’s determination to stand.
At the center of the dispute was the party’s authority to determine which candidates qualify for its primary ballot. The court’s ruling affirmed that the Republican Party of Texas acted within its rights when it rejected Rogers’ application for failing to meet ballot-access requirements.
According to court filings, the party rejected Rogers’ application after determining he failed to submit the required number of valid petition signatures from each of the state’s 15 courts of appeals districts as required for candidates seeking statewide judicial office. Party officials concluded Rogers fell short in at least the 8th Court of Appeals District.
The filings state that several signatures were deemed invalid because some signers were not properly registered voters in the relevant district, others contained incorrect or incomplete voter information, and multiple signatures appeared to be written in the same handwriting—raising concerns under state law that signatures must be made by each signer individually.
The party also cited concerns that some petition circulators may have misrepresented Rogers’ background while collecting signatures, an allegation Rogers has denied.
Because Rogers submitted his application just hours before the filing deadline, the party argued—and the court agreed—that he was not entitled to submit additional signatures after the deadline to cure any deficiencies.
Republican Party of Texas General Counsel Rachel Palmer Hooper told Texas Scorecard the decision reflected the party’s responsibility to safeguard the integrity of its elections.
“Election integrity is a paramount concern of the Republican Party of Texas,” Hooper said. “The party will diligently adhere to the applicable laws governing signature petitions, ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.”
Hooper said that on the final day of filing, two candidates submitted applications and signature petitions for Texas Supreme Court seats, but party officials determined that they failed to obtain the required number of valid signatures from each judicial district.
“As such, their applications were rejected,” she said.
The ruling also comes as the Republican Party of Texas continues to press its broader legal argument in favor of closed primaries—asserting that political parties have a constitutional right to control their nomination process and determine who may appear on their ballots without interference from nonmembers or the courts. The party is currently suing the Texas Secretary of State to implement closed primaries.
Two other would-be candidates who were similarly denied ballot access have also filed lawsuits against the party.
Rogers, who represented himself in the case, said he was disappointed by the ruling but indicated the fight is not over.
“I have practiced in front of Judge Meachum for years, and have tremendous respect for her and the way she runs her courtroom,” Rogers said. “I am of course disappointed by today’s ruling, and am reviewing the full range of legal options going forward.”
“I continue to believe that the people of Texas deserve options when it comes to nominations for our state’s highest court,” he added. “Over a thousand Texans signed petitions asking to have me on the ballot, and those people must not be silenced by machine politicians.”
“There will be more to come,” Rogers said. “The machine can’t stop The Stream.”
