Melissa Lorber

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Melissa Lorber

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Arizona, 1996

Law

University of Texas School of Law, 2001

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Melissa Lorber (Democratic Party) ran for election for the Place 2 judge of the Texas Third District Court of Appeals. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

Lorber completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Melissa Lorber earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1996 and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2001. Her career experience includes working as an attorney and founding partner at Enoch Kever PLLC.

Lorber has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Travis County Women Lawyers' Association
• Austin Bar Association Civil Appellate Section
• State Bar of Texas Rules Committee
• CASA of Travis County
• Impact Austin

Elections

2024

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2

Maggie Ellis defeated John Messinger in the general election for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maggie Ellis (D)	50.9	700,587
		John Messinger (R)	49.1	675,885

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,376,472
= 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 runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2

Maggie Ellis defeated incumbent Edward Smith in the Democratic primary runoff for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2 on May 28, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maggie Ellis	65.0	17,385
		Edward Smith	35.0	9,362

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,747
= 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 Third District Court of Appeals Place 2

Maggie Ellis and incumbent Edward Smith advanced to a runoff. They defeated Melissa Lorber in the Democratic primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maggie Ellis	40.5	56,909
✔		Edward Smith	31.5	44,192
		Melissa Lorber	28.0	39,337

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 140,438
= 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 Third District Court of Appeals Place 2

John Messinger advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Messinger	100.0	185,153

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 185,153
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lorber in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Melissa Lorber completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lorber'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.

Since graduating from the University of Texas School of Law with honors in 2001, I have worked as an appellate lawyer. During the past 22 years, I have represented clients in 300 appeals. I regularly present oral arguments in the Texas Supreme Court, Texas Courts of Appeals, and U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. I have earned Board Certification as an specialist in Civil Appellate Law and for the past decade have been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in civil appeals. I am also one of the founding partners of a women-majority law firm that has won awards as a top workplace for working parents and women attorneys. This is important to me, as the mom of three kids (ages 24, 21, and 15) who has balanced parenting and a successful law practice. I am a leader in the legal community, including on the Boards of the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association and Austin Bar Association Civil Appellate Section. And I am a community leader, including as a 20-year volunteer for CASA of Travis County advocating for abused and neglected children and as part of the Grants Leadership Team for Impact Austin, a women’s grant-giving organization. I have earned endorsements from the Austin Area Chapter of the National Women’s Political Caucus, Central Austin Democrats, South Austin Democrats, Austin Environmental Democrats, and Circle C Area Democrats. Also, I earned the most votes from Central Texas attorneys in the State Bar of Texas preference poll.

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?

• Experience and expertise are vital to secure a strong legal system. I have 22 years of directly relevant appellate court experience and am recognized as an expert in civil appellate law.
• The Third Court of Appeals is the last word for most Central Texas disputes. The Court decides complex legal questions that impact all Central Texans. My experience and expertise will enable me to fairly and equitably answer these important questions.
• Every Central Texas litigant has the right to be treated with respect and civility throughout the legal process and to have the law applied fairly, equitably, compassionately, and consistently in their dispute.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

(1) Women's rights, (2) LGBTQIA+ rights, (3) fundamental fairness, equality, justice, and human rights for all—regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, (4) supporting and strengthening public schools, (5) supporting local non-profits, (6) protecting Americans’ right to vote, and (7) protecting the Earth for future generations.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Court of appeals justices must have utmost integrity and be legal scholars and leaders in the legal community. Having highly qualified justices who write well-reasoned opinions can help restore confidence in the legal system that has been eroded during recent years.

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

Third Court of Appeals justices decide complex legal issues that impact not only the parties to each case, but all Central Texans. Justices should write well-reasoned opinions that make the parties feel heard, that correctly apply the law, and that can withstand review by the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want my two daughters to be proud of me. And I want my daughters -- and other Texas young women -- to believe that, with hard work and a little bravery, they can accomplish anything they can dream of.

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

My first professional job was as a newspaper reporter at the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Arizona. I wrote for the newspaper for two years, until I graduated from the University of Arizona and moved to Texas. I then worked for two years as a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, before and during law school at the University of Texas School of Law.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I admire two groundbreaking women who inspired me to want to be an appellate court justice. As a college newspaper reporter, I got to meet and interview the first female United States Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. I met her again years later, after I was a seasoned appellate lawyer and she had retired from the Supreme Court. I also greatly admire Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—not only for what she was able to accomplish academically and judicially, but that she was able to do it while also prioritizing her roles as a wife and mother. I have spent the past two decades balancing raising three children (who are now 24, 21, and 15) and gaining extensive appellate and litigation experience so that I am now highly qualified to follow in the footsteps of these trailblazing women.

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

I received the most votes as the preferred candidate of Central Texas attorneys in the State Bar of Texas judicial poll.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I believe that my extensive appellate experience and expertise are needed on the Third Court of Appeals. There is currently no justice on the Court that has dedicated her career to representing clients in the appellate courts. I can add depth and a unique perspective to the Court.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

I believe that judicial candidates should have the respect and support of the attorneys who practice before the court. I am honored to have the support of Central Texas attorneys.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I have received endorsements from the Austin Area Chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus, South Austin Democrats, Central Austin Democrats, Austin Environmental Democrats, and the Circle C Area Democrats. I also received the most votes from Central Texas attorneys as the preferred candidate in the State Bar of Texas preference poll.

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.

Campaign finance summary

---

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.

---

Melissa Lorber campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2	Lost primary	$70,985	$76,701
Grand total			$70,985	$76,701
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

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Texas Third District Court of Appeals Place 2

Website

Facebook

Personal

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Footnotes

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams. Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox