MAGGIE JANE ELLIS is an American attorney and judge serving as a justice on the Third Court of Appeals of Texas in Austin. On November 3, 2026, she was elected as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, defeating incumbent Jimmy Blacklock. She is the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to statewide office in Texas, as well as the state’s first elected woman chief justice. She is scheduled to take office in January 2027.

Ellis experienced homelessness as a child and attended numerous different elementary schools in three states. At one point, she was abandoned by her mother. Ellis has described her baby sister as having also been her daughter for the past 30+ years.

Ellis earned an Associate of Arts degree in Spanish from Austin Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Juris Doctor (JD) from Baylor Law School. Ellis began attending UT and gave birth to her first child in 1988. She graduated after 16-years, citing that working with children in the classroom made her realize that she wanted to make a difference for children and families. She worked in the private practice before serving as a prosecutor for the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and an administrative law judge at the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Before earning her JD, Ellis was a public school teacher, child welfare advocate, and foster parent. While attending Baylor Law School, she drove from Austin to Waco every day as a single mother. Ellis is certified in juvenile law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a certified specialist in child welfare law by the National Association of Counsel for Children. She is also chair of the State Bar Juvenile Law Section Board.

Ellis is a self-described seventh-generation Texan. She is married.