Fourth Court of Appeals

Place 1

Chief Justice Martinez is the proud daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, raised in military bases across the country, graduating high school from Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is a University Scholar at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and the recipient of the Faculty Award at graduation from Boston University School of Law. Her clerkships include, first in Boston at Mintz (then Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Golvsky and Popeop), then returning to Texas to serve with U.S. Magistrate Judge Eduardo de Ases of the Southern District of Texas, and Justice Federico Hinojosa, on the Texas Thirteenth Court of Appeals.

Following her judicial clerkships, she practiced complex civil and criminal litigation in both federal and state trial courts for almost two decades before her election to the Fourth Court of Appeals in 2012. In 2020, she was elected Chief Justice and last year announced her anticipated retirement from the court at the end of her current term.

In May 2025, Chief Justice Martinez was awarded a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from Boston University for her outstanding contributions to the University, the profession, and to society. She is also a recipient of the 2025 “Best of BU” Distinguished Alumni Award at Boston University. She currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board at Boston University School of Law.

Among other distinctions, Rebeca received the Judge of the Year from the State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section, and the Hon. Harold V. Froehlich Judicial Courage Award from the American Judges Association.

Chief Justice Martinez currently serves on the Advisory Board at the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy, Women’s Campaign School. She has served on the boards of the National Association of Women Judges, the State Bar of Texas, and the Texas Young Lawyers Association. In addition, she is a former Latina Commissioner of the National Hispanic Bar Association and has held numerous leadership positions at the local, state and national level. Her fellow jurists elected her as Chair of the Judicial Section of the State Bar, and she currently serves on the Texas Bar Committee on Pattern Jury Charges (Business, Consumer, Insurance, and Employment). In 2020, the Texas Supreme Court appointed her to the Remote Proceedings Task Force following the COVID-19 pandemic to assist in developing rules and procedures to permanently allow virtual court proceedings and reducing barriers to remote proceedings while ensuring public access to the courts. She is a regular speaker and author and continues to serve in various capacities with several legal and judicial organizations.

Staff

Staff Attorneys

• Jack Salmon - Chief Staff Attorney
• Nicholas Dominguez
• Brianna Chapa