--- title: "Rebeca Martinez | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rebeca-martinez-tx-4th-court-appeals" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Rebeca Martinez 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 - 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. ## 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/chief-justice-rebeca-martinez/) - [Official roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/4thcoa/about-the-court/justices/chief-justice-rebeca-martinez/) - [Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/4thcoa/about-the-court/justices/chief-justice-rebeca-martinez/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15835/rebeca-carrillo-martinez/) - [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/15835/rebeca-carrillo-martinez/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rebeca-martinez-tx-4th-court-appeals", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rebeca-martinez-tx-4th-court-appeals", "name": "Rebeca Martinez | KnowJudges", "description": "Rebeca Martinez, Texas 4th Court of Appeals. 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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.