Third Court of Appeals

Justices 
Photo of Chief Justice Darlene Byrne

Chief Justice Darlene Byrne

Place 1

Prior to her election as the Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals of Texas in 2020, Justice Darlene Byrne served for 20 years as the presiding judge of the 126th Judicial District Court in Travis County.  She was a general jurisdiction trial judge presiding over civil matters, but her passion was serving as the presiding judge over all... Read more

Photo of Justice Gisela D. Triana

Justice Gisela D. Triana

Place 6

Prior to being elected to the Texas Third Court of Appeals in 2018, Justice Gisela D. Triana had served on every level of Texas trial courts. She comes to the Third Court with over 23 years of experience on a trial bench, in both criminal and civil courts. Most recently, Justice Triana served for 14 years as the 200th District... Read more

Photo of Justice Chari L. Kelly

Justice Chari L. Kelly

Place 3

Justice Chari L. Kelly is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) and the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) in Criminal Law. She has served as both a defense attorney and a prosecutor and is also a seasoned civil litigator. Justice Kelly is a U.S. Army Veteran and former paratrooper. She was a captain in the Judge... Read more

Photo of Justice Rosa Lopez Theofanis

Justice Rosa Lopez Theofanis

Place 4

Prior to being elected to Texas’ Third Court of Appeals in 2022, Rosa Theofanis served as an Assistant District Attorney for Travis County, including ten years in the appellate division.  There, she represented the State of Texas in appeals of convictions for felony and juvenile offenses committed in Travis County, as well as in appeals of civil suits affecting parental rights, original... Read more

Photo of Justice Karin Crump

Justice Karin Crump

Place 5

Justice Karin Crump was elected to the Third Court of Appeals in 2024. Prior to her election, she served as the presiding judge of the 250th District Court for ten years, overseeing a wide range of complex civil and family law trials, as well as administrative appeals. Before ascending to the bench, she practiced law in Austin and Dallas, handling... Read more

Justice Maggie Ellis

Place 2

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