Valenzuela chosen for appellate court spot

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed state District Judge Lori I. Valenzuela to fill a vacant seat on the Fourth Court of Appeals.

The San Antonio-based panel hears both civil and criminal cases appealed from lower courts in 32 counties. It’s the middle level in the appeals process, with the highest being the Supreme Court of Texas for civil cases and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Valenzuela, a Republican of San Antonio, has been presiding judge of the 437th District Court since 2009. She holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin and received her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. She is adjunct professor at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

Valenzuela and state District Judge Jefferson Moore also preside over the Felony Veterans Treatment Court. She serves on several judicial boards, including the Bexar County Juvenile Board, and was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas as chair of the Court Reporter Advisory Committee.

Before she became a judge, Valenzuela was an attorney in private practice and a prosecutor with the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office.

It is unclear when she will be sworn in to the Fourth Court bench, or who will be appointed to the 437th.