A former state representative from Edinburg is now running to be the next justice for the 13th Court of Appeals.
Aaron Peña, former state representative for District 40, filed to run in the Republican primary election for the 13th Court of Appeals, which is currently slated for March 2022.
Peña previously served as a state representative for five terms. He ran and then took office in 2003 as a Democrat, but then switched parties in 2010. He did not seek re-election when his term was up, believing the district was unwinnable for a Republican when the district boundaries were redrawn.
The seat is currently occupied by state Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg.
The 13th Court of Appeals serves the Rio Grande Valley counties of Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy. It also serves Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, De Witt, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Lavaca, Live Oak, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria and Wharton.
“I’ve spent the last two months traveling this twenty-county judicial district speaking with members of the community about bringing a necessary balance to the court,” Peña said in a news release. “From Hidalgo to Hallettsville the response has been overwhelmingly positive. As a result, today I am announcing my candidacy for 13th Court of Appeals.”
He touted his 33 years of legal experience.
“My background in the community, in the courtroom, as a former legislator and on the legal teams of two Texas state agencies gives me the necessary insight and understanding of the legal and judicial system central to the work of an appellate justice on the Court of Appeals,” he said.
Peña graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with his Bachelor’s degree in Government and later attended law school at Texas Southern University, where he graduated in 1987.
He obtained his license in1988 and, later, his board specialization certification in 1995. As a state representative, he served as chairman of the committee of criminal jurisprudence, chairman of the committee of technology and chairman of the select committee on emergency preparedness.
“I’m proud of and love our community and the people in it,” Peña said. “If elected, it will be my responsibility to fairly and consistently follow the law. I will bring honesty and integrity to the bench and will work diligently to earn the respect of those who appear before me.”
