Rebeca Martinez at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Appeals Justice
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Rebeca Martinez
Court of Appeals Justice · Texas 4th Court of Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- Chief Justice of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals since January 1, 2021, following her election in the 2020 general election
- Chief Justice, Texas Court of Appeals, 4th District (San Antonio), San Antonio, TX, 2021-2026
- Chief Justice Rebeca Martinez is the head of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals, elected in 2020, with a career spanning legal clerkships, two decades of litigation practice, and leadership in judicial and professional organizations
- Presiding Judge, Texas Court of Appeals, 4th District (San Antonio), San Antonio, TX, 2019-2020
- Justice, Texas Court of Appeals, 4th District (San Antonio), San Antonio, TX, 2013-2018
- Political Science, Criminal Justice & Philosophy — Southern Methodist University — 1989
- Clerk, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, P.C., ?-present
- Law Clerk, District Court, S.D. Texas, ?-present
- Law Clerk, Texas Court of Appeals, 13th District (Edinburg), ?-present
- Justice Federico Hinojosa on the Texas 13th Court of Appeals
- In summary: Chief Justice Martinez is a distinguished jurist with a background in both public service and private practice, recognized for her judicial leadership, advocacy for diversity in the judiciary, and contributions to legal education and policy reform
Education
- Boston University — J.D. (1992)
Additional information
- Her current term runs through December 31, 2026.
- In 2025, she received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from Boston University and the “Best of BU” Distinguished Alumni Award.
- In 2020, the Texas Supreme Court appointed her to the Remote Proceedings Task Force to develop rules for permanent virtual court proceedings.
- She was first elected to the court in 2012 and reelected in 2018.
- Practitioner, Law Offices of Ramon Garcia, P.C., Edinburg, TX, ?-present
- Practitioner, Thornton, Summers, Biechlin, Dunham Brown, Edinburg, TX, ?-present
- The daughter of a Vietnam veteran and was raised on military bases across the U.S..
- The Fourth Court of Appeals is the first all‐female appellate court in the United States.
- Frequent speaker and author in legal and judicial organizations.
- Before joining the appellate court, she practiced complex civil and criminal litigation in federal and state trial courts for nearly 20 years.
- Also a former Latina Commissioner of the National Hispanic Bar Association.
- Boards including the National Association of Women Judges, State Bar of Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association, and the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy.
- received the Faculty Award from Boston University School of Law.
- She has been recognized as Judge of the Year by the State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section
- received the Harold V. Froehlich Judicial Courage Award from the American Judges Association.
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 4th 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 ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗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 4th Court of Appeals official directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 11, 2026
View Texas 4th Court of Appeals official directory ↗