Emily Miskel

Emily Miskel

Republican Party

Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2030

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Leslie Lester Osborne

Prior offices

Texas 470th District Court

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Base salary

$154,000

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Appointed

December 20, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Stanford University, 2002

Law

Harvard Law School, 2008

Personal

Religion

Methodist

Profession

Judge

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Emily Miskel (Republican Party) is a judge for Place 13 of the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals. She assumed office on December 26, 2022. Her current term ends on December 31, 2030.

Miskel (Republican Party) ran for re-election for the Place 13 judge of the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appointed Miskel to the appellate court on December 20, 2022.

Biography

Education

Miskel earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 2002. She earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2008.

Career

At the time of her judicial appointment, Miskel was working as an associate attorney at KoonsFuller, P.C. and as an adjunct professor of family law at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Miskel's career experience included working in the oil & gas industry designing and building pipelines, and as a licensed professional engineer.

Awards and associations

• Barrister, Henderson American Inn of Court
• Board Certified in Family Law and Child Welfare Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• Exemplary Article Award, Texas Center for the Judiciary, 2016
• Fellow, Texas Bar College
• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Joseph McKnight Award for Best Article, State Bar of Texas Family Law Section, 2016
• Member, Texas Academy of Family Law Specialists
• Member, Collin County Bar Association Family Law Section
• Member, Collaborative Law Institute of Texas
• Member, Supreme Court Advisory Committee
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) in Mechanical Engineering, licensed in California 2005-2011
• State Bar of Texas – Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee, Computer & Technology Section Council
• Texas Judicial Council – Civil Justice Committee Chair, Data Committee
• Trustee, Texas Supreme Court Historical Society
• Vice-Chair, Supreme Court of Texas Remote Proceedings Task Force
• William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, National Center for State Courts, 2020

Elections

2024

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13

Incumbent Emily Miskel defeated Tonya Parker in the general election for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emily Miskel (R)	50.1	761,488
	Submit photo	Tonya Parker (D)	49.9	756,942

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,518,430
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13

Tonya Parker advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Tonya Parker	100.0	144,420

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 144,420
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13

Incumbent Emily Miskel advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emily Miskel	100.0	186,062

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 186,062
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Miskel in this election.

2022

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

General election

General election for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Maricela Moore defeated Emily Miskel in the general election for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maricela Moore (D)	50.8	572,345
		Emily Miskel (R)	49.2	553,846

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,126,191
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Maricela Moore advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maricela Moore	100.0	154,697

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 154,697
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Emily Miskel advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emily Miskel	100.0	162,174

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 162,174
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Collin County, Texas (2020)

General election

General election for Texas 470th District Court

Incumbent Emily Miskel won election in the general election for Texas 470th District Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emily Miskel (R)	100.0	299,270

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 299,270
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Texas 470th District Court

Incumbent Emily Miskel advanced from the Republican primary for Texas 470th District Court on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Emily Miskel	100.0	55,706

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 55,706
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Texas local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Texas held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on March 1, 2016. A primary runoff election was held on May 24, 2016, for any seat where the top vote recipient did not receive a majority of the primary vote. Incumbent Emily Miskel ran unopposed in the Texas 470th District Court Republican primary.

Texas 470th District Court, Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate
Emily Miskel Incumbent

Emily Miskel won without opposition in the general election.

Selection method

See also: Partisan election of judges

The judges of the Texas District Courts are chosen in partisan elections. They serve four-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving.

Though Texas is home to more than 400 district courts, the courts are grouped into nine administrative judicial regions. Each region is overseen by a presiding judge who is appointed by the governor to a four-year term. According to the state courts website, the presiding judge may be a "regular elected or retired district judge, a former judge with at least 12 years of service as a district judge, or a retired appellate judge with judicial experience on a district court."

Qualifications
To serve on the district courts, a judge must be:

• a U.S. citizen;
• a resident of Texas;
• licensed to practice law in the state;
• between the ages of 25 and 75;*
• a practicing lawyer and/or state judge for at least four years; and
• a resident of his or her respective judicial district for at least two years.

*While no judge older than 74 may run for office, sitting judges who turn 75 are permitted to continue serving until their term expires.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Emily Miskel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Emily Miskel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Miskel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have served as judge of the 470th District Court of Collin County, Texas, since the court was created in 2015. As the local administrative district judge for Collin County, I kept courts open safely during the pandemic. I am the 2020 recipient of the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence from the National Center for State Courts. I received my law degree from Harvard Law School and am double board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Before law school, I was a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) who worked in the oil & gas industry. I am Chair of the Civil Justice Committee for the Texas Judicial Council, the policy-making body for the state judiciary, and a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee. I also serve on the Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee and the Computer & Technology Law Council for the State Bar of Texas. I have been invited to speak nationwide on legal technology topics such as electronic evidence, e-discovery, data theft, and interception of communications.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I commit to being faithful to the constitution, fairly applying the law as written, and never legislating from the bench.
• I kept our courts open during the pandemic because I believe all Texans deserve fair & equal access to the judicial system.
• Texas courts belong to all Texans. I strongly promote transparency, provide public access to all court proceedings, host open "Office Hours" for members of the public to ask questions, and publish clear forms and procedures online.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

It is critical that Texans elect judges who are fair, impartial, and well-qualified. As a judge, I manage my docket to promote quick and efficient resolution of disputes. I am passionate about leaving Texas better than I found it. I have been invited to join many statewide committees to improve our Texas judicial system. As a member of the Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee, I help write the instructions that are given to juries statewide. I was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court to Chair the Civil Justice Committee on the Texas Judicial Council, the policy-making body for the state judiciary. We work with the Texas Legislature to simplify judicial procedures, expedite court business, and better administer justice. I serve on the leadership council for the Computer & Technology Section of the State Bar, designing and implementing programs to ensure our judicial system uses technology to help Texans. As a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, I work to simplify court rules so that every party gets a fair day in court and every dispute is resolved solely on the merits of the case.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe I have the proper temperament for a judge. I am calm, respectful, prompt, and hardworking. I do not let personal opinions bias judgments. I am dedicated to learning about and improving the law. I endeavor to be fair, honest, and ethical. I believe judges should be humble and restrained, but not slow to make decisions. A judge should serve, not be served.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A court of appeals should resolve cases according to constitutional authority and the plain meaning of the law, not the policy preferences of any individual justice. A judicial opinion’s legitimacy comes from the strength of its reasoning. The proper role of a justice on the court of appeals is to generate clearly-written, soundly-reasoned judicial opinions based on legitimate authority. The perception of unreasonable delay undermines public confidence in the judicial system. Justices must research, reach decisions, and write promptly.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was conducting research at ARCO, an oil and gas company in Plano, Texas. I was selected for that prestigious summer internship while I was still in high school. My first full-time job was at an engineering firm in Simi Valley, California, where I designed and constructed oil and gas pipelines. I also worked in the field, wearing a hard hat and steel-toed boots to work.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Judges should interpret and apply the constitution and laws according to their original public meaning and should not legislate from the bench. A court should decide only the case at hand and should not issue advisory opinions or try to influence policy.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

I received the highest overall rating in the Collin County Bar Association's last judicial poll.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Many courts closed or limited services during the pandemic. Under my leadership, Collin County district courts never closed and continued to hold jury trials safely throughout the pandemic. However, many other courts have Covid-related backlogs. Clearing those backlogs is a top priority. Texans need a court of appeals justice who is smart, knows the law, and will work hard to resolve cases quickly.

Tell us your favorite joke.

What’s a judge's favorite breakfast?
Oathmeal  :-)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Emily Miskel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Emily Miskel campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13	Won general	$138,316	$137,541
2022	Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 4	Lost general	$79,354	$111,975
Grand total			$217,670	$249,517
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Leslie Lester Osborne (D)	Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Place 13 2022-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Texas 470th District Court 2015-2022	Succeeded by -

Texas courts

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Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas

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Courts in Texas • Texas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Texas

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