Fourth Court of Appeals

Place 1

Chief Justice Rebeca C. Martinez is the proud daughter of a Vietnam War Veteran and his wife of over 60 years. She was raised on military bases all around the country for most of her childhood. She graduated high school with honors from Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas, as a University Scholar with dual degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and was the recipient of the prestigious Faculty Award from Boston University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, where she currently serves on the Law School Dean’s Advisory Board.

Chief Justice Martinez clerked at Mintz, Levin et al. in Boston, MA, served with U.S. Magistrate Judge Eduardo de Ases in the Southern District of Texas, and later with Justice Federico G. Hinojosa on the Texas 13th Court of Appeals. She enjoyed a 20-year litigation practice, first with two prestigious law firms, then as President of her own law practice, handling complex multi-party litigation and representing both plaintiffs and corporate defendants in federal and state courts across Texas.

In 2012, she was elected to the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals, reelected in 2018, and elected Chief Justice in 2020. She is the 2023 Recipient of the American Judges Association Judicial Courage Award, and the 2021 Judge of the Year presented by the State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section.

Among numerous positions held at the local, state and national level, Chief Justice Martinez is the current Chair of the State Bar of Texas Judicial Section, serves on the Pattern Jury Charge Business, Consumer, Insurance and Employment Subcommittee, and on the Board of the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the State Bar of Texas and the State Bar Foundation. She is a frequent author and speaker at numerous continuing legal education programs throughout the state.

Chief Justice Martinez lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband and family.

Staff

Staff Attorneys

• Jack Salmon
• Nicholas Dominguez