Second Court of Appeals

Justice Place 6

Mary Ellen Hicks (1993 to 1994)

Mary Ellen Hicks was born on March 10, 1949.  After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Texas Women’s University, she enrolled at the Texas Tech University School of Law.  Her decision to attend law school was inspired by her great uncle W.J. Durham, a pioneer lawyer who worked with Thurgood Marshall on the famous Sweatt v. Painter case challenging racial discrimination at The University of Texas School of Law.  When she completed her legal studies in 1974, she became Texas Tech’s first black female law school graduate.

After law school, Hicks began working for Bonner & Mitchell in Fort Worth.  One of the firm’s partners, Norman Bonner, would later set up a firm with Hicks known as Bonner & Hicks.  In 1978, Hicks was appointed as a municipal judge, later becoming the chief judge.

In 1982, she was appointed as judge of the 231st District Court in Tarrant County, where she served ten years as a family court judge.  In 1992, Governor Ann Richards appointed Hicks to a seat on the Second Court of Appeals, where she became the first African American and the first female to serve on the court.  She served as a justice from January 1, 1993, to December 31, 1994.  After leaving the court of appeals, Hicks served as a visiting judge in Harris County for over 19 years. 

Hicks has been active in her community throughout her professional life.  She served as the President of the Black Women Lawyers of Tarrant County and the Fort Worth Black Bar Association.  She also served on the Advisory Board of Directors for the Campaign for Human Development and the AIDS Outreach Center.  She was named as the 1993 “Woman of the Year” by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.