Holly Taylor is running for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. It's the highest criminal court in Texas, and most voters have never heard of it.

The Texas Supreme Court handles civil cases. This one has the final word on criminal convictions in the state, including death penalty cases.

Taylor has worked on both sides of the system. She spent 17 years as a Travis County prosecutor. Then she joined the Conviction Integrity Unit where she reviewed cases for wrongful convictions, including one that helped free a woman after more than 20 years in prison. "I actually had worked to put this person behind bars," she says, "only to find out later that she was completely innocent."

Today she's a defense attorney.

Hiram and Domingo sit down with Holly Taylor, Democratic candidate for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, to talk about what it looks like to reopen a case you won, why she says a wrongful conviction creates two injustices instead of one, and what she means by "smart on crime."

Holly Taylor's campaign:
https://www.hollytforjudge.com/

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IN THIS EPISODE

— What the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is, and why most voters have never heard of it
— Why Texas is one of only two states with two courts of last resort
— What a conviction integrity unit does — old evidence boxes, witnesses nobody called, science that has since changed
— The case she prosecuted herself, then worked to overturn when the evidence fell apart
— Why she argues a wrongful conviction creates a second injustice, not just one
— "Smart on crime" versus "tough on crime," and what she says the difference buys you
— Judicial independence, and why she says it matters who appoints Texas judges

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Who Holly Taylor is and what she's running for
00:44 What the Court of Criminal Appeals actually does
01:00 Why Texas has two high courts — and only Oklahoma does too
01:38 Free speech, digital privacy, and what's inside your phone
01:58 254 counties, 54,000 miles
02:32 25 years in criminal law, 17 as a Travis County prosecutor
03:09 Joining the conviction integrity unit
03:42 How a wrongful-conviction investigation actually works
05:05 The case she prosecuted — and later helped undo
07:18 Ad: Domingo Garcia Law Firm
07:38 Why she moved to criminal defense
08:19 How to reach the campaign
08:52 "No county is too red, no Texan is too conservative"
09:32 The second injustice — when the real predator walks free
10:09 "We need to be smart on crime"
10:56 Judicial independence and pressure on the courts
11:48 Vote November 3 — and go all the way down the ballot

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ABOUT THE GUEST

HOLLY TAYLOR is the Democratic candidate for Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 9, facing Republican John Messinger in the November 2026 general election. She has practiced criminal law for more than 25 years. She is board certified in Criminal Appellate Law. She holds degrees from Rice, UT Austin School of Law, and the LBJ School. She and her husband John have four children who attended Austin public schools. She was the Democratic nominee for Presiding Judge of the same court in 2024.

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HOSTS

DOMINGO GARCIA is a trial lawyer and one of the most important Latino political figures in Texas. He served on the Dallas City Council and, in 1993, became the first Latino ever elected Mayor Pro Tem of the city. In the Texas Legislature, he co-authored HB 1403 — the Texas DREAM Act. In 2006, he organized the largest march in Texas history, when more than 500,000 people filled downtown Dallas to demand immigration reform. He is a former national president of LULAC and has practiced law for more than 40 years.

HIRAM GILBERTO GARCIA is a journalist, producer, and public affairs strategist based in Austin. His frontline coverage of the 2020 protests drew wide local and national attention.

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ABOUT TEJANO TALKS

Tejano Talks is a podcast hosted by Domingo Garcia and Hiram Garcia that blends cultural conversation, political analysis, and interviews with notable voices in Texas and beyond. We're here for Tejanos like us — to help you build wealth, honor your family, and make well-informed choices for your future.

Subscribe, and tell us in the comments who you want to see on the show next. We're on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Views expressed by hosts and guests are their own.

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