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. She is active in the legal community and currently serves on the Texas Supreme Court Family Law Advisory group for pandemic issues, the State Bar Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda and the State Bar Pattern Jury Charge Family/Probate committee.
She has a long history contributing to legal education. Over the years she has written and taught on topics such as family law, child welfare, legal ethics, litigation strategy, discovery, evidence, judgments, mental health in the legal profession and docket management.
Justice Garcia is respected by her peers and colleagues. During her time on the bench, she was recognized as an Outstanding Jurist by the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and was previously named Best Judge by Dallas Observer. She has twice been awarded the Merrill Hartman Judicial Pro Bono Service Award.
A Dallas native, Justice Garcia graduated from Irving’s Nimitz High School, SMU and SMU Dedman School of Law. She is double board certified in Family law and Child Welfare law.