Luz Elena Chapa

Luz Elena Chapa

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Successor: Lori Brissette

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Loretto Academy

Bachelor's

St. Mary's University, 1995

Law

St. Mary's University, 1999

Personal

Birthplace

Virginia

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Judge

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

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Luz Elena Chapa (Democratic Party) was a judge for Place 4 of the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals. She assumed office in 2013. She left office on December 31, 2024.

Chapa (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Place 4 judge of the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Education

Luz Elena Chapa was born in Virginia. She earned a high school diploma from the Loretto Academy, a bachelor's degree from St. Mary’s University in 1995, and a law degree from St. Mary’s University in 1999.

Career

• 2013-2024: Judge, Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals
• 2010-2012: Attorney, Chapa Law Group, P.C.
• 2005-2010: Attorney, Chapa & Nevarez, P.C.
• 2002-2005: Attorney, Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, L.L.P.
• 2001-2002: Attorney, Barger, Hermansen, McKibben & Villarreal, L.L.P.
• 2000-2001: Attorney, Oaxaca, Bernal & Associates
• 1998-1999: Law clerk, Lyons & Rhodes, P.C.
• 1997-1998: Law clerk, Law Offices of Frank Herrera, Jr.
• 1997: Law clerk, The Center for Legal and Social Justice
• 1995-1996: Legislative correspondent, Congressman Frank Tejeda
• 1995: Intern, Congressman Lloyd Doggett
• 1995: Intern, Cauthorn, Hale, Hornberger, Sheehan, Fuller & Becker

Associations

• El Paso Bar Association, Former Member
• El Paso Young Lawyers Association, Former Member
• Mexican American Bar Association-El Paso, Former Member
• Texas Women Lawyers, Former Member, Board of Directors & Treasurer
• Corpus Christi Bar Association, Former Member
• Corpus Christi Young Lawyers Association, Former Member
• Coastal Bend Women Lawyers Association, Former Member
• St. Mary’s University Alumni Association, Member
• St. Mary’s University School of Law Alumni Association, Member
• St. Mary’ Hispanic Law Alumni Association, Member
• State Bar of Texas, Member
• San Antonio Bar Association, Member
• Bexar County Women’s Bar Association, Member
• Bexar County Democratic Women, Member
• Mexican American Bar Association-San Antonio, Member
• Clarity Child Guidance Center, board member
• Guardian House, former board chair
• Healy-Murphy Center, former board vice president
• Children’s Ballet of San Antonio, Member
• San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame, 2014 inductee
• American Bar Foundation, fellow
• Texas Bar Foundation Life, fellow
• San Antonio Bar Foundation, fellow

Elections

2024

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Lori Brissette defeated incumbent Luz Elena Chapa in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Brissette (R)	51.9	567,689
		Luz Elena Chapa (D)	48.1	525,857

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,093,546
= 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 Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Luz Elena Chapa advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Luz Elena Chapa	100.0	104,204

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,204
= 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 Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Lori Brissette advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Brissette	100.0	141,277

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 141,277
= 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

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Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chapa in this election.

2018

See also: Texas intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Luz Elena Chapa defeated Patrick Ballantyne in the general election for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Luz Elena Chapa (D)	53.9	445,672
	Submit photo	Patrick Ballantyne (R)	46.1	381,319

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 826,991
= 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 Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Incumbent Luz Elena Chapa advanced from the Democratic primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Luz Elena Chapa

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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 Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4

Patrick Ballantyne advanced from the Republican primary for Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Patrick Ballantyne

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= 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.

2012

See also: Texas judicial elections, 2012

Chapa defeated incumbent Steve Hilbig in the general election on November 6, 2012, with 51.5% of the vote.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Luz Elena Chapa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chapa'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 am a 51 year old Texan, originally from El Paso. I have lived in San Antonio for the last 20 years, working and raising my family. For the past 12 years, I have served as a Justice on the Fourth Court of Appeals. But most importantly, I am the mother of three children. It is because of them that I have committed my time and efforts to many organizations dedicated to the health and protection of young people, especially their mental health.

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 am the most experienced candidate. I have served as an appellate justice for almost 12 years, authoring over 1,400 opinions in both civil and criminal cases. Only three of those opinions have been reversed by a higher court.
• I am the most qualified candidate. The Fourth Court of Appeals handles a more or less equal mix of criminal and civil cases. I am the only candidate with extensive experience in both criminal and civil appellate law.
• I am the candidate most committed to upholding the rule of law as it was written, without regard to politics or partisanship. The proof is in my record – I have authored over 1,400 opinions and been a panel member on hundreds more. Only three of those authored opinions have been overturned by a higher court – one of the best current records of any Texas judge. Candidates who make partisan promises or campaign on political issues and how they will rule on them, threaten the independence and integrity of the judiciary and put thousands of cases at risk.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The area of public policy I am most passionate about is the independence of the judiciary. In today’s polarizing political climate, the integrity and independence of the judiciary are often under attack, but my record of upholding the law as it is written without regard to partisan politics, political pressure or threats from politicians is more important than ever. It is that level of integrity and commitment that keeps the courts from becoming a mere third house of the Legislature or an extension of the executive branch. I am committed to continuing the hard work and upholding the standards of excellence that have characterized my twelve years as a Fourth Court Justice.

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

For members of the judiciary, the principles I value the most are honesty, integrity and a commitment to the law as it was written.

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

A core responsibilty a judge has is to apply the law as it was written without regard to partisan politics or political considerations.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I strive to be remembered by my leading with the heart of a public servant who walks in humble shoes.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

San Antonio Police Officers Association. San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, Retired Chief Justice Catherine Stone, and Retired Chief Justice Phil Hardberger have endorsed me.

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

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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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Luz Elena Chapa campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4	Lost general	$331,929	$312,441
Grand total			$331,929	$312,441
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

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals Place 4 2013-2024	Succeeded by Lori Brissette (R)