Meet the 13th Court of Appeals

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Chief Justice Dori Contreras was first elected as a Justice to the 13th Court of Appeals in 2002, and was re-elected in 2008 and 2014. She was elected Chief Justice in 2018 and will serve in this position through 2024. It is her honor to be the first woman Chief Justice of the 13th Court of Appeals and, at the time of her election, only the second Latina Chief Justice statewide.

Chief Justice Contreras was raised in Pharr, Texas as the youngest of four children. Her parents, Pantaleon and Criselda Contreras, were first generation Mexican American. Both sets of grandparents immigrated from Mexico in the early 1900’s and settled in the Rio Grande Valley. Chief Justice Contreras was often told by her father, a hard-working man who proudly had a 35-year career with the Texas Department of Highways and Public Transportation, that his one regret in life was not obtaining a college education. Taking this to heart, after graduating from PSJA High School in 1976, Chief Justice Contreras attended the University of Texas at Austin from which she received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in December of 1980. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. In response to a job offer, Chief Justice Contreras moved to Houston, Texas and worked as an accountant for several years before applying to law school.  In 1987, as a wife and mother of two daughters, she began law school in the night program at the University of Houston Law Center and continued working full-time. She continued with this rigorous schedule for a year and one-half before deciding to borrow the needed funds to attend school full time. In May of 1990, she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. Chief Justice Contreras was active in various organizations in law school and was recognized as one of six students to receive the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Houston Law Center. She was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November of 1990.

Chief Justice Contreras began her legal career in Houston working as an associate for Thomas N. Thurlow and Associates. In 1991, she moved to San Antonio and began employment with the Law Offices of Frank Herrera. After one year, she transferred to the McAllen branch office which she managed until 1997. In that year, she became a partner in a civil trial firm that litigated and tried state and federal court cases. Chief Justice Contreras also formed a mediation practice in 1997 which she ran concurrently with her law practice. In 2010, Chief Justice Contreras was one of three recommended by the Texas congressional delegation for nomination by the White House to a United States District Court seat in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Before joining the court, Chief Justice Contreras served as a member and on boards of numerous legal and community organizations including President of the Hidalgo County Bar Association; board member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association; and, on the Board of Governors for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. She currently serves on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Annual Conference Committee for the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal; Chair of the Council of Chief Justices of Texas; Treasurer of Texas Latinx Judges; and Council Member for the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas. Throughout her legal career, Chief Justice Contreras has lectured at continuing legal education programs around the state and country. She enjoys speaking to students at local schools and serving as a role model to the young women in her community.

Chief Justice Contreras has three children. Lisette Marie Howard is a graduate of Texas A&M University and has a Master’s degree from the University of North Texas. Vanessa Barry graduated summa cum laude from UT Pan American and is employed as the Chief Operating Officer for KIPP Texas. Michael James Garza, Jr. works in Denver, Colorado. Chief Justice Contreras is married to Roger Perez and has five beautiful grandchildren.

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.Our experienced and dedicated teachers are committed to helping students achieve their goals. They are passionate about teaching and are always looking for new and innovative ways to help students learn.

Justice Lionel Aron Peña Jr. was elected to the 13th Court of Appeals, Place 3 on November 8, 2022. 

The eldest of six siblings, he is the son of Lionel Aron Peña, Sr. and Sylvia Alamia Peña. After attending primary schools in his home community of Edinburg, he graduated from Edinburg High School in 1977. Peña graduated from the University of Texas at Austin on May 19, 1984, with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. On May 16, 1987, Justice Peña received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Southern University. He was licensed as an attorney on May 6, 1988. Justice Peña later (1995-2010) obtained board specialization certification in Labor and Employment Law. 

Prior to joining the Court, Justice Peña was a litigator with more than 35 years of courtroom experience. He was repeatedly selected by his peers as one of the best lawyers in the state of Texas when acknowledged as a "Super Lawyer" in Texas Monthly magazine. He also served as a Major in the Texas State Guard, serving as a Staff Judge Advocate at the command headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Justice Peña is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives (2003 -2013) whose Hidalgo County district stretched along the Texas/Mexico border. In that capacity, he served as the Chairman of the Committee of Criminal Jurisprudence, the Chairman of the Committee on Technology, and as Chairman of the Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness.

After his retirement from the Texas House of Representatives, Justice Peña served as Assistant General Counsel for the Texas Department of Agriculture, also serving as the Civil Rights Administrator for the agency. In 2014, Justice Peña accepted employment as the Litigation Director at the Texas General Land Office, along with duties in governmental relations and veterans advocacy. This concluded when Justice Peña assumed judicial duties on this court on January 1, 2023.

Justice Peña is licensed to practice in all Texas state courts. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Hidalgo County Bar Association, Cameron County Bar Association, Corpus Christi Bar Association, Victoria County Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is an active participant in bar activities, having previously served on the board of the Labor and Employment section of the State Bar of Texas. Justice Peña is also a member of the Appellate Law sections of the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association. He is a member of the Texas Bar College, a professional society of legal scholars who make an extraordinary commitment to professional education.

Justice Peña is active in the community having served (2007-2009) on the Texas Indigent Defense Commission tasked with funding, overseeing and improving public defense by counsel in each of Texas’s 254 counties. He serves on the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee organized to study and present advisory recommendations for the redevelopment of Alamo Plaza in San Antonio, Texas. In his home community he served on the boards of the Civil Service Commission, AVANCE, KMBH Public Television, UTRGV Rio Grande Valley Historical Collection Advisory Council, Village in the Valley and the Rio Grande Valley Juneteenth Committee. Justice Peña is an active participant in several initiatives in the battle against substance abuse and addiction and is a regular participant in the scholarship activities of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals.

Peña is the father of five children, the grandfather of 14 grandchildren and an ever-increasing number of great-grandchildren. He calls the Rio Grande Valley his home.

Justice Jaime Eduardo Tijerina was elected to the 13th Court of Appeals, Place 4 on November 3, 2020. Justice Tijerina was previously appointed to the same position by Governor Greg Abbott in August of 2019. Justice Tijerina also served as the 464th and 93rd District Court Judge in 2018 and 2019, positions also appointed by Governor Abbott. Justice Tijerina served as a City Attorney with the City of Mission, Texas from 2014 through 2018. In 2013 Justice Tijerina was appointed Judge of the 92nd State District Court by Governor Rick Perry to fill a vacancy and held that position until the end of 2014. Prior to his appointment, Justice Tijerina was in private practice in McAllen, Texas. Justice Tijerina previously served in an official public capacity as County Attorney for Kenedy County, Texas, a position he was elected to in 2000 and held for twelve years. Justice Tijerina is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserves and served in various positions across Texas for over 31 years. Justice Tijerina’s active military service includes service as Command Judge Advocate for the 211th Regional Support Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Tikrit, Iraq in 2009 and as Legal Advisor to the Afghan National Police Legal Affairs in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2012. Justice Tijerina was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. A successful businessman and avid outdoorsman, Justice Tijerina is owner of Tijerina Ranch, a cattle and hunting operation in Kenedy County, Texas.

Justice Tijerina currently serves on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Alumni Advisory Board. Justice Tijerina formerly served as a board member and board secretary for the Food Bank Rio Grande Valley, as a board member and president of the University of Texas-Pan American Alumni Association, as a panel member and chair of the State Bar of Texas District 13 Grievance Committee, as a board member of the Texas District and County Attorney’s Association and as board member of the Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association. Justice Tijerina was also recently elected as a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and to the Texas Prosecutor’s Society. Justice Tijerina is a member of The College of The State Bar of Texas.

Justice Tijerina is a graduate from McAllen High School and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas –Pan American. He attended the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University, where he received his juris doctor degree in 1995. Justice Tijerina is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Justice Tijerina is the son of Judge Cruz†and Lillie† Tijerina of McAllen, Texas. He is married (Diane).

Justice Gina M. Benavides, Senior Justice of the Thirteenth Court of Appeals since 2007, has distinguished herself through numerous awards, leadership roles, and her commitment to justice. Notably, she was recognized as "Latina Judge of the Year" in 2007 by the National Hispanic Bar Association, received the Judge Merril Hartman Award in 2021, and has written over 1500 judicial opinions.

She held leadership positions in several judicial and legal associations. In 2022, she became the Regional Director 11 of the National Association of Women Judges and joined the Texas American Board of Trial Attorneys. In 2019, she was elected Chair of the Judicial Section at the Annual Judicial Conference. She's also on the board of the Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society’s Board of Trustees.

Justice Benavides co-founded the Texas Latinx Judges website in 2021, empowering Latinx judges and promoting diversity in the judiciary. She has contributed to legal scholarship, publishing in the Supreme Court Historical Society Journal and the St. Mary’s Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics.

She served on the Texas Center for the Judiciary Board of Directors since 2008, becoming its first Hispanic female chair in 2011, for which she received the Chair’s Award of Excellence in 2013. She was a board member of the Texas Legal Services Center since 2017, was appointed to the Texas Access for Justice Commission in 2010, and played a role in the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas, becoming its Chair in 2018.

Her prior roles include serving as a vice president of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, president of the Cameron County Bar Association, and president of the Mexican-American Bar Association of Texas. Her commitment to education and youth is evident in her frequent engagements as a speaker and volunteer judge for various student competitions.

Born and raised in Harlingen, Texas, Clarissa Silva graduated from Harlingen High School Class of 2000. Following this, she enrolled at the University of Texas at San Antonio where she interned at the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office. In 2003, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, along with minors in Legal Studies and Political Science. This experience nurtured her aspiration for the legal system and motivated her to further her education.

In 2004, she entered Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, securing an internship at the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office. She graduated in 2007, becoming licensed to practice law the following year. This license empowered her to delve into the work she found the most fulfilling, practicing both civil and criminal law at the county level.

In 2008, she joined the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney. Specializing in juvenile cases, she handled matters ranging from Class B misdemeanors to capital felony. She also championed cases involving abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the disabled and elderly through Adult Protective Services. In recognition of her efforts, she received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Coalition for Crime Victim’s Rights in 2011.

In the same year, she began representing children in the foster care system as an attorney ad litem, further expanding her legal experience. This dedication earned her the title of Attorney ad Litem of the Year from Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the Coastal Bend. Motivated by this, she joined the board of Corpus Christi’s Commission on Children and Youth and served for over five years. In 2015, her dedication to juvenile justice led her to become board certified in juvenile law.

In 2017, after eight years with the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office, she moved to the San Patricio County Attorney’s Office where she took on the role of an Assistant County Attorney.

With a distinguished career in law and public service spanning over 12 years, Clarissa Silva is Board Certified in Juvenile Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She has been an active member of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association since 2009 and the Texas Bar College. As a lecturer for Texas Continuing Legal Education, she shares her expertise and passion for the law with the wider community.