Fifth Court of Appeals

Chief Justice J.J. Koch

Place 1

Chief Justice Koch was elected to the 5th District Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024. He previously served as the Presiding Judge of Criminal District Court #2 in Dallas County. Prior to his judicial tenure, Chief Justice Koch served Dallas County as Commissioner for District 2, championing fiscal responsibility, furthering the funding and development of smart criminal justice reform, and... Read more

Justice Bonnie Lee Goldstein

Place 3

Justice Bonnie Lee Goldstein was elected to the 5th District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to her election to the 5th Court, she served as the Presiding Judge of the 44th Judicial District Court in Dallas County. She commenced her legal career in Dallas with the law firm of Vial, Hamilton, Koch and Knox practicing in a variety... Read more

Justice Craig Smith

Place 6

Justice Craig Smith was elected to the 5th District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. Prior to his election to the 5th Court, he was the Presiding Judge of the 192nd Civil District Court in Dallas County. Before taking the trial court bench in 2007, Justice Smith spent over 26 years as a civil trial lawyer.  He is “Board Certified’... Read more

Justice Dennise Garcia

Place 8

Justice Dennise Garcia has been a Texas judge for over 16 years. She was elected to the 5th District Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020. At the time of her election to the Court, Justice Garcia had presided over thousands of trials as Judge of the 303rd District Court. Over her judicial career, she was selected by her colleagues... Read more

Justice Emily Miskel

Place 13

Justice Emily Miskel was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeals by Governor Greg Abbott in 2022. Previously, she served as presiding judge of the 470th District Court for more than 7 years. During the pandemic, she served as the Local Administrative District Judge of Collin County, creatively using remote technology and in-person appearances to keep Collin County courts... Read more

Justice Maricela Moore Breedlove

Place 4

Justice Maricela Moore Breedlove began her service on the Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2023. She previously served as the Presiding Judge of the 162nd Civil District Court and the Local Administrative District Judge. As the Local Administrative District Judge, she oversaw thirty-nine district court judges in Dallas County, Texas. She also previously served as the Presiding Judge of... Read more

Justice Nancy Kennedy

Place 7

Justice Nancy Kennedy is honored to serve on the 5th Court of Appeals after being elected in 2022, serving the citizens of Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Rockwall, Hunt and Kaufman counties. Prior to becoming a justice, she was elected and had the privilege to serve the citizens of Dallas County as the presiding judge of Criminal District Court #2 in 2016.... Read more

Justice Tina Clinton

Place 9

Justice Jessica Lewis

Place 2

Justice Jessica Lewis is honored to serve on the Fifth Court of Appeals for the State of Texas, having been elected to the position on November 5, 2024. Justice Lewis grew up in East Texas and earned her undergraduate degree at East Texas Baptist University. She has been a resident of the Greater Dallas area for nearly two... Read more

Justice Gino Rossini

Place 11

Justice Cynthia M. Barbare

Place 5

For over 32 years, Justice Barbare has devoted her career to the practice of law, focusing primarily on state and federal criminal defense, as well as family law. As the founder and lead attorney of the Law Offices of Barbare & Associates, she built a powerhouse firm in the Dallas legal landscape. Alongside her dedicated team, she has fought tirelessly... Read more

Justice Earl Jackson

Place 10

Justice Jackson graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1984 and then went to work for his family’s real estate business in Austin, Texas. The business owned multiple apartment developments in Austin and it was Jackson’s role to manage the business. In the late 80s, real estate had taken a significant downturn as a result of overbuilding and the 1986 Tax... Read more

Justice Mike Lee

Place 12

Justice Mike Lee was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024. Justice Lee previously served as Presiding Judge of the 95th District Court, a civil district court in Dallas County, and as Presiding Judge of the 256th District Court, a family district court also in Dallas County. Justice Lee’s service on the bench follows more than... Read more