Three judges of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals were sworn in during a formal investiture ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, at the House Chambers of the Texas Capitol. Bert Richardson, Kevin Patrick Yeary, and David Newell, all of whom were elected to the bench by the public in November 2014, are the newest judges on the state’s highest criminal court.

Richardson, a graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law, was most recently a special state judge, traveling to hear cases in more than 40 counties. He also was of counsel to the San Antonio firm of LM Tatum and an adjunct law professor at St. Mary’s. Richardson is certified in criminal law and is a former federal and state prosecutor and judge of the 379th Criminal District Court of Bexar County. He is currently the judge overseeing the indictment case against Gov. Rick Perry.

Yeary, also a graduate of St. Mary’s School of Law, is returning to the court where he began his career in 1991 as a briefing attorney for the late Judge Bill M. White. He also served as an associate of a San Antonio litigation firm, where he was a defense and appellate attorney, as well as an appellate prosecutor in Dallas, Harris, and Bexar counties and, most recently, a senior prosecutor in the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

Newell, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, was most recently an assistant criminal district attorney for Harris and Fort Bend counties. He is certified in criminal and criminal appellate law and is a frequent author and lecturer on criminal appellate matters.

Richardson, Yeary, and Newell are filling seats left by Cathy Cochran, Tom Price, and Paul Womack, who decided not to seek reelection in 2014.

Additional photos from the investiture ceremony and reception at the Texas Law Center are available on the State Bar of Texas Flickr page.