Thirteenth Court of Appeals
Place 2
Justice Nora L. Longoria was first elected to the 13th Court of Appeals in 2012 and re-elected to a second six-year term in 2018. She was born and raised in Edinburg, Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station in 1986 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in History. In 1990, Justice Longoria received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law.
Before her election to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals, Justice Longoria was a partner with the law firm of Hockema & Longoria, LLP in McAllen, Texas where she focused her practice on civil litigation and mediation. In recognition of her accomplishments as a trial attorney, Justice Longoria was nominated and became a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates in 2005. Her legal career, from 1990 to 2012, included representing clients, individual and corporate, in numerous practice areas including commercial transactions, banking, real estate, personal injury, products liability, insurance defense, family law, and criminal law. In 2019, Justice Longoria was bestowed the honor of Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Justice Longoria is licensed to practice in all Texas State Courts and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas and the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Hidalgo County Bar Association, Cameron County Bar Association, and the Corpus Christi Bar Association. She has served as a director of the Hidalgo County Bar Association and is an active participant in local bar activities. Justice Longoria is also a member of the Appellate Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
Justice Longoria is active in her community and in alumni activities. She is a graduate of Leadership McAllen and is a member of the International Women's Board at the University of Texas Pan American and the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas Law School. Justice Longoria is a member of Texas Exes, The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M and the Hidalgo-Starr County Texas A&M Club.
Justice Longoria is the widow of the late David Hockema. She currently lives in Edinburg with her two french bulldogs, Vegas and Lola.