Lisa Soto at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Appeals Justice
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Lisa Soto
Court of Appeals Justice · Texas 8th Court of Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- Justice Lisa Soto is a Democratic Party judge for Place 2 of the Texas Eighth Court of Appeals, elected in 2023 and re‐elected in 2024, with a 25‐year background in civil law practice in Texas and California
- Immediate pre‐bench role: Contract attorney at the Eighth Court of Appeals
- Official site: Texas Courts – Justice Lisa Soto
- Public records show Justice Soto has authored numerous opinions in both criminal and civil cases, with a strong record of applying statutory text and constitutional requirements strictly
- She also held the role of Professor of Practice at UTEP’s Patti and Paul Yetter Center for Law, teaching legal writing, analysis, and advocacy, and developing clinical programs involving vulnerable populations in El Paso County
Education
- J.D. — University of Texas School of Law; interned at the Texas Supreme Court
- in Public Policy (Honors in Education) — Stanford University — B.A.
Additional information
- Re‐election: Won the November 5, 2024 general election with 100% of the vote in the Democratic primary and general ballot
- Assumed office: January 1, 2023
- Honored in 2016 by the State Bar of Texas for community and legal profession service
- Base salary: $192,500
- Texas: Represented employees, small businesses, and organizations in contracts and labor/employment cases for an Austin‐based firm.
- California: Represented school districts, colleges, and governmental entities in administrative processes, litigation, appeals, and contract negotiations.
- Her docket includes cases on public safety offenses, family law, and procedural issues.
- Former chair, State Bar of Texas Diversity in the Profession Committee
- Alumna of the American Inns of Court
- Current Texas Bar Foundation Sustaining Life Fellow and long‐time board member of Siguiendo los Pasos de Jesús
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Filing requirements
Statewide
In Texas appellate courts, attorneys must electronically file civil and criminal documents, subject to a good-cause motion; self-represented parties may e-file but are not required to do so.
Attorneys in civil cases must electronically file documents. Attorneys in criminal cases must electronically file documents except for good cause shown in a motion filed in the appellate court.Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing
Texas 8th Court of Appeals
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 27, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 10, 2026.
Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster ↗Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing ↗Texas 8th Court of Appeals official directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 11, 2026
View Texas 8th Court of Appeals official directory ↗