---
title: "Rosa Lopez Theofanis | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rosa-lopez-theofanis-tx-3rd-court-appeals"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-27"
---

# Rosa Lopez Theofanis

Texas 3rd Court of Appeals · Court of Appeals Justice

## Profile

- Court: Texas 3rd 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/3rdcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-rosa-lopez-theofanis/)
- [Official roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/3rdcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-rosa-lopez-theofanis/)
- [Texas Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.txcourts.gov/3rdcoa/about-the-court/justices/justice-rosa-lopez-theofanis/)
- [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 Theofanis has been on the Texas Third Court of Appeals since January 1, 2023, following her November 8, 2022 general election victory over Lesli Fitzpatrick
- Democratic Party judge serving on Seat 4 of the Texas Third Court of Appeals, elected in 2022 with a term ending in 2029
- Assistant District Attorney for Travis County, with 10 years in the appellate division
- She has also held the role of an adjunct professor at UT School of Law, teaching legal writing, and has presented at professional conferences
- Official site: Texas Judicial Branch – Justice Rosa Lopez Theofanis

### Education

- J.D., University of Texas School of Law (2002), Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Law; interned at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
- B.A. in Comparative Literature, Brown University (1997), Rose Writing Fellow; studied at the University of Salamanca, Spain.

### Additional information

- representing Texas in felony and juvenile criminal appeals, civil parental rights cases, and post-conviction matters.
- Legal services for survivors of domestic violence through a Washington, D.C. nonprofit.
- She has prosecuted over 20 jury trials with successful verdicts in both criminal and civil cases, handled appeals before nine of Texas’ intermediate courts, and presented oral arguments in Texas appellate courts, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit.
- One of six justices serving this intermediate appellate court, which hears civil and criminal appeals from 24 Texas counties.
- Justice Theofanis lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two children.
- She enjoys running, reading, and exploring the Hill Country.



## 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.