Fifth Court of Appeals

Justices 
Photo of Justice Bonnie Lee Goldstein

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

Photo of Justice Craig Smith

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

Photo of Justice Dennise Garcia

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

Photo of Justice Emily Miskel

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

Photo of Justice Maricela Moore Breedlove

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

Photo of Justice Nancy Kennedy

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