Rebecca Simmons
Justice Rebecca Simmons is a fifth generation Texan and a third generation attorney. She has two brothers who are attorneys and one brother who is a District Judge. A respect for the law was ingrained at an early age.
After twenty years in private practice, Rebecca Simmons was appointed as District Judge of the 408th Judicial District Court in Bexar County and was subsequently elected. Based on Judge Simmons proven track record on the district bench, she was selected to serve on the Fourth Court in May 2005 and then elected in 2006.
In addition to her court duties, Justice Simmons has served as an adjunct professor at St. Mary’s School of Law for over 15 years. In 2005, Justice Simmons was specially commissioned as a Supreme Court Justice to sit on a pending case before the Texas Supreme Court.
Before serving on the district bench, Justice Simmons practiced law at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in San Antonio where she specialized in complex commercial litigation.
Justice Simmons is a graduate of Baylor University School of Law where she served as a notes and comments editor for the Baylor Law Review. Following law school Justice Simmons served as a briefing attorney for the Texas Supreme Court. A recipient of an International Rotary Fellowship, Justice Simmons continued her legal studies at Durham University in England, focusing on the emerging European Economic Community, prior to settling in San Antonio.
Justice Simmons is an active member of the legal community. She is a former Chair of the Texas Bar Foundation which provides over $500,000 a year in grants for legal services and education. A recipient of the State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation, she is a member of the Pattern Jury Charge Committee and Rules Committee of the Texas Bar. She is a former President of the William S. Sessions American Inns of Court, and the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association. She is currently Treasurer of the San Antonio Bar Association. She is an active lecturer and speaker on a variety of legal topics.
Justice Simmons is married to Dr. Richard Clemons and they have three children: Rachael, Sarah and Patrick.
Justice Rebecca Simmons is running for Justice, Place 3 on the Supreme Court of Texas in the Republican primary to be held March 2010. This seat is currently held by Justice Harriet O’Neill, who announced she would not seek re-election in 2010.
[edit] News Articles
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Seventh Woman Picked for Bench", San Antonio Express-News, April 1, 2005
- "Gov. Perry Appoints Simmons to 408th District Court", Governor's Press Office, Apr. 07, 2003
- Simmons to fill vacancy on 408th District Courth", San Antonio Business Journal, April 7, 2003
