Fifth Court of Appeals
Location
Fifth Court of Appeals
George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Bldg.
600 Commerce Street, Suite 200
Dallas, Texas 75202-4658
Phone: 214-712-3400
Facsimile: 214-745-1083
Operating Hours
8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday (except holidays)
Contact Personnel
Ruben Morin, Clerk of the Court
Phone: 214-712-3400
Myrna S. Gasc, Court Business Administrator
Phone: 214-712-3417
Legal Citation
Texas Constitution, Article V, Section 1, Texas Government Code Annotated, Section 22.201
Jurisdiction
The Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas at Dallas has jurisdiction over appeals from both district and county courts located in Dallas,Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Rockwall and Kaufman counties. The Court hears both civil and criminal appeals.
Justices of the Fifth Court of Appeals
| Robert D. Burns, III | Chief Justice |
| Ken Molberg | Justice |
| Robbie Partida-Kipness | Justice |
| Bill Pedersen, III | Justice |
| Amanda L. Reichek | Justice |
| Erin A. Nowell | Justice |
| Cory L. Carlyle | Justice |
| Bonnie Lee Goldstein | Justice |
| Craig Smith | Justice |
| Dennise Garcia | Justice |
| Emily Miskel | Justice |
| Maricela Breedlove | Justice |
| Nancy Kennedy | Justice |
How Appeals Are Decided
A case is not decided by the Court until the record of the proceedings in the trial court and the briefs are filed by both parties to the appeal. The case is then "submitted" for decision.
Each case is set for submission before three justices on the Court. In certain circumstances, cases may be heard by a panel consisting of all of the justices (en banc). Cases are generally set for submission on Tuesday and Wednesday of each week and a panel of three justices hear all of the submitted cases that are argued.
Each case is assigned to one of the justices on the panel to author the opinion. At times, other justices may author concurring and/or dissenting opinions.
Communication With The Court
Correspondence or other communications relative to any matter before the court must be conducted with the Office of the Clerk of the Court and may not be addressed to or conducted with any of the justices or other members of the court's staff.
Like all judges, the Justices of the Courts of Appeals are required by law to observe very strict ethical standards -- far stricter than for any other public official. These standards absolutely forbid the Justices and their staffs to talk with anyone about pending cases or to explain or elaborate upon an opinion the Court has issued. We understand that many people would like to talk to the Justices and their staffs about cases, but the laws of Texas strictly prohibit this practice. See Tex. R. App. P. 9.6