Court of Criminal Appeals
Judge Mary Lou Keel
Place 2
Mary Lou Keel was elected to the Court in 2016. From 1995 through 2016 she presided over the 232nd District Court in Harris County, Texas. She also served Harris County as an assistant district attorney at trial and on appeal. She was a briefing attorney for the First Court of Appeals from 1985-86. She has been board certified in Criminal Law since 1990.
She earned a BA in English from the University of Texas in 1982 and a JD from the University of Houston Law Center in 1985.
She is married to attorney Jim Hippard, Jr., and they have three children, all now young adults.