In 1983, I became the first judge of the newly created 240th District Court, sitting in Tom Green County. In 1986, I was appointed by the Governor to the Court of Appeals for the Third District of Texas, sitting in Austin, the first woman justice of the Court since its creation in 1892. In 1998, I was elected Chief Justice of the Court, the first woman to hold that office. I retired from the Court in 2003; since then I have continued sitting as a Senior Judge for the State of Texas, on trial and appellate courts. I am a 1974 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. In April, I will be honored as the 2023 Distinguished Alumnae of the law school.