--- title: "Lori I. Valenzuela | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lori-i-valenzuela-tx-4th-court-appeals" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Lori I. Valenzuela Texas 4th Court of Appeals · Court of Appeals Justice ## Profile - Court: Texas 4th 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. ## Biography ### Professional career - Justice Lori I. Valenzuela is a Republican‐party judge for Place 7 of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals, appointed in January 2021 and re‐elected in 2024, with a career spanning trial court, prosecution, private practice, and judicial leadership roles - Justice, Texas Court of Appeals, 4th District (San Antonio), San Antonio, TX, 2021-2022 - Presiding Judge, Texas 437th Judicial District Court, San Antonio, TX, 2019-2021 - 2009–2021: Judge, 437th Judicial District Court (Bexar County, TX) - Presiding Judge, Texas 437th Judicial District Court, San Antonio, TX, 2015-2018 - Presiding Judge, Texas 437th Judicial District Court, San Antonio, TX, 2011-2014 - Presiding Judge, Texas 437th Judicial District Court, San Antonio, TX, 2009-2010 - Assistant District Attorney, Bexar County District Attorney's Office, TX, ?-present - Specialized work: Co‐founder and presiding judge of a Felony Veteran’s Treatment Court - Pre‐bench: Assistant District Attorney, Bexar County (notably prosecuting baby death cases, murders, and violent crimes) Private criminal defense law practice County magistrate ### Education - St Mary's University — J.D. (1998) - Government — The University of Texas at Austin — 1992 - B.A. in Government, University of Texas at Austin - St. Mary’s University School of Law — J.D. ### Additional information - Re‐election: Won the November 5, 2024 general election with 100% of the vote - Tenure: Appointed January 11, 2021 by Governor Greg Abbott; sworn in January 22, 2021 - adj-prof, The University of Texas at San Antonio, ?-present - Practitioner, Private Practice, TX, ?-present - Magistrate, Texas District Courts, TX, ?-present - Current: Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee - Co‐chair, Access to Justice Commission Judicial Education Committee - Past: Chair, Texas Center for the Judiciary Board of Directors - Chair, Court Reporter Advisory Committee (appointed by Supreme Court of Texas) - Board memberships include Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee, St. Peter‐St. Joseph Children’s Home, Family Service Association, Boy Scouts of America Executive Board, and Child Fatality Review Board - Life Fellow, San Antonio Bar Foundation and Texas Bar Foundation - Married to R. Sean McCleskey, a law enforcement officer; mother of three children. ## 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/4thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-lori-i-valenzuela/) - [Official roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/4thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-lori-i-valenzuela/) - [Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/4thcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-lori-i-valenzuela/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16139/lori-i-valenzuela/) - [Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, Rule 9.2, Electronic Filing](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1461885/texas-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16139/lori-i-valenzuela/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lori-i-valenzuela-tx-4th-court-appeals", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/lori-i-valenzuela-tx-4th-court-appeals", "name": "Lori I. 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