---
title: "Lisa Soto | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lisa-soto-tx-8th-court-appeals"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-27"
---

# Lisa Soto

Texas 8th Court of Appeals · Court of Appeals Justice

## Profile

- Court: Texas 8th Court of Appeals
- State: Texas
- Role: Court of Appeals Justice
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-27

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### appellate electronic filing

Scope: 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.

Evidence excerpt: 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](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.txcourts.gov/8thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-lisa-soto/)
- [Official roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/8thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-lisa-soto/)
- [Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/8thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-lisa-soto/)
- [Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf)

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## 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



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-e966a5411b2587c600cf3508) — 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](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.