Fifth Court of Appeals
Chief Justice Robert D. Burns, III
Place 1
Chief Justice Robert D. Burns, III was elected to the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals at Dallas November 6, 2018 and sworn into office January 1, 2019. Chief Justice Burns grew up in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from Austin College in Sherman, Texas in 1986 and earned his juris doctor from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law... Read more
Justice Ken Molberg
Place 12
Justice Ken Molberg was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals on November 6, 2018. For the previous 10 years, he was the Judge of the 95th Judicial District Court of the State of Texas. For four of those years he served as the Local Administrative District Judge of Dallas County with responsibilities for the county’s 39 district courts.... Read more
Justice Robbie Partida-Kipness
Place 2
Justice Robbie Partida-Kipness was elected to serve on the Fifth District Court of Appeals on November 6th, 2018. Justice Partida-Kipness is the first Hispanic to serve on this court. She received her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1998 and put herself through law school while clerking for The Law Offices of Jeffrey Anderson in San... Read more
Justice Bill Pedersen, III
Place 9
Justice Bill Pedersen, III, was born and raised in Nacogdoches, Texas. He attended Texas Tech University, graduating in the spring of 1998, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History, with minors in Spanish and Philosophy. He obtained his law degree from Baylor University School of Law in 2001. His father, Bill Pedersen, Jr., is also a Baylor lawyer. While at... Read more
Justice Amanda L. Reichek
Place 10
Justice Amanda Reichek was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2018. Justice Reichek worked for several prominent plaintiff-side employment law firms before starting her own practice where she continued to represent employees in employment disputes and unions in labor disputes. While in private practice, Justice Reichek held numerous leadership positions within the labor and employment law field, including... Read more
Justice Erin A. Nowell
Place 5
Justice Erin Nowell was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2018. Justice Nowell is no stranger to prosecuting claims and defending lawsuits, having spent time on both sides of the courtroom. She began her career at a nationally recognized plaintiffs’ firm specializing in toxic-tort litigation where she developed the skills to manage and litigate large-scale mass torts. In 2007,... Read more
Justice Cory L. Carlyle
Place 11
Justice Cory L. Carlyle was elected to the Fifth District Court of Appeals in 2018 and is a commissioner on the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health. He started his legal career in the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Appellate Section. For two years, Justice Carlyle represented the State in appeals, evaluated past convictions for DNA testing, and handled the... 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 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 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