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Early Life
Justice Guadalupe Rivera was born in El Paso, Texas on May 9, 1948.

Education
She attended Loretto Academy and completed her undergraduate education at the University of Texas at El Paso. Justice Rivera received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University Of Texas School Of Law in l981.

Early Career
Guadalupe served as an assistant district attorney for the 34th Judicial District and was primarily responsible for the prosecution of high profile felony cases. In 1985 she was appointed Court Master (Associate Judge) by the El Paso Council of Judges and presided over family law cases for all of the El Paso district courts. She was also appointed to serve as Criminal Law Magistrate. She was board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in family law in l987.

Elected Office
In 1990, Guadalupe Rivera was elected to the 168th District Court, a court of general jurisdiction, and became El Paso’s first Hispanic female district court judge. She was re-elected to the 168th District Court for four additional terms. On November 4, 2008, she was elected to the Eighth District Court of Appeals to an unexpired term and was sworn in on December 1, 2008.

Membership in the State Bar of Texas
In 2001, Justice Rivera was elected to serve as Local Administrative Judge for the El Paso County Council of Judges. Justice Rivera is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars sponsored by the State Bar of Texas and has served on several State Bar of Texas standing committees. She presently serves on the Pattern Jury Charges- Oversight Committee. Justice Rivera has served as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section and as Chair of the State Bar of Texas.

Professional Recognition and Honors
Justice Rivera has been honored by the El Paso Young Lawyers and the Mexican American Bar Association as Outstanding Jurist in El Paso. In 1986 she was named Woman of the Year in Law by the El Paso Women’s Political Caucus and was recognized by the Adelante Mujer Hispana Conference IV for her Contributions in Politics and in 1985 for her Contributions and Commitment to the Advancement of Hispanic Women. In 1990 she received the local and statewide Public Citizen of the Year Award presented by both the El Paso and the National Association of Social Workers of Texas. In 1991 she was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1993 the Black El Paso Democrats presented Judge Rivera with the Community Service Award. In 2001 she was presented the Samuel Pessara Outstanding Jurist of the Year award by the Texas Bar Foundation.

Family
Justice Rivera is married to attorney Wiley F. James III and they have six children and seven grandchildren.