First Court of Appeals

Place 7

Justice Julie Countiss was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2018. Her father, Justice Richard Countiss, (retired) swore her into office on January 2, 2019. She has practiced law–primarily civil litigation–for seventeen years and served as an assistant county attorney in Harris County prior to assuming the bench.

Justice Countiss received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from University of Houston School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Methodist University. She taught public school in the South Bronx, NYC as a Teach for America Corps member and continued teaching for two more years in Alief ISD upon her return to Texas.

On May 28, 2019, Justice Countiss was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to serve on the Children’s Commission–a judicial commission for children, youth and families in Texas. She also serves as a judicial liaison to the Houston Bar Association’s Appellate Section and is a member of the National Association of Women Judges and the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas