Fifth Court of Appeals

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 open safely throughout the pandemic.

In 2020, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court presented her with the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence from the National Center for State Courts.

Justice Miskel received her law degree from Harvard Law School and is double board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Justice Miskel is a Director of the National Center for State Courts. She is the Chair of the Civil Justice Committee for the Texas Judicial Council, the policy-making body for the state judiciary, and she serves on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee. She has also served on the Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee and the Computer & Technology Law Council for the State Bar of Texas. She frequently speaks on legal technology topics such as electronic evidence, e-discovery, and digital privacy.

Justice Miskel graduated in the top 15% of her class from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Before attending law school, she worked in the oil and gas industry for several years, designing and building pipelines. She was a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Mechanical Engineering in California from 2005-2011.