Third Court of Appeals

Place 2

Justice Ellis was elected to the Texas Third Court of Appeals in 2024. She is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a Certified Specialist in Child Welfare Law by the National Association of Counsel for Children. Prior to being elected, she worked in private practice representing individuals in five of the counties this Court serves, served as a prosecutor for the Travis County District Attorney's Office, and was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. She has extensive and relevant legal knowledge and has handled thousands of cases in the courtroom from all sides of the docket, including hearings, trials, and appeals involving divorce, child custody, contract disputes, federal education law, violent felony criminal cases, and termination of parental rights.

Justice Ellis has been recognized and awarded for her work providing pro bono and volunteer legal services, including receiving the Hays County Bar Association's Pro Bono Hero award. She has provided legal assistance and volunteered through Volunteer Legal Services, Hays County Pro Bono Clinic, Raices, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Travis County Child Welfare Board, the Supreme Court Children's Commission Child Welfare and Juvenile Law work groups, and she currently serves as Chair of the State Bar Juvenile Law Section Board. She has worked on several statewide work groups developing and passing legislation to improve the lives of children and families.

A proud and very active member of the Central Texas community for over thirty-five years, Justice Ellis has volunteered with Meals on Wheels, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Helping Hand Home, Leander ISD (PTA President, Vice President, Zoning Board), as a volunteer Spanish and English teacher and mentor, and an AISD HOSTS mentor.

Justice Ellis received an Associate of Arts degree in Spanish from Austin Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em!), and a Juris Doctor from Baylor Law School.

While she is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve her community, Justice Ellis is most grateful for her amazing friends, her wonderful children, adorable grandchildren, and her husband, who she refers to as her home and her strength. When not working, she loves spending time with friends and family, reading, traveling, hiking, and taking care of  the "green babies" in her garden in Georgetown.