Hi, I’m Judge Elisabeth Earle, and I’m proud to call Austin my lifelong home. I was born and raised here, went to Austin public schools, earned my degree from the University of Texas, and had my first taste of the legal world while working at the State Bar of Texas.
In 1990, I moved to London, England working for the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher – an incredible experience that opened my eyes to the global legal landscape. After returning to Austin, I served in the Texas Senate Jurisprudence Committee and the Governor’s Office in the Criminal Justice Division for Governor Ann Richards, a hero of mine who gave me an opportunity for which I will forever be grateful. Those experiences solidified my decision to pursue law school, so I packed up and headed to San Antonio to study at St. Mary’s University School of Law, where I was honored with the National Association of Women Lawyers Award.
Since then, I’ve dedicated my career to public service and justice reform. I began as a prosecutor with the Travis County Attorney’s Office, focusing on domestic violence cases. In 1998, I was honored to be appointed Municipal Court Judge for the City of Austin and was approached to help create the nationally recognized Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC), the first community court in Texas and the seventh in the United States. In 1999, I was appointed as the first Presiding Judge and received the Community Collaboration Award. The DACC continues to be nationally recognized empowering people to thrive by providing impartial justice and compassionate community-based services.
In 2002, I was first elected to the County Court-at-Law bench where I continue to serve as Presiding Judge. In addition, in 2007 I founded and continue to lead our Travis County DWI Court, an intensive, treatment-based program that helps individuals break the cycle of addiction and repeat offenses. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of — seeing lives changed through compassion, accountability, and community support. Our Court’s mission is to enhance public safety through providing an intensive, judicially supervised program of team-based counseling, treatment, and supervision to alcohol and substance abuse dependent DWI offenders. In 2011, I was voted by my peers to serve as the Local Administrative Statutory County Court at Law Judge and I continue to serve in this role.
In addition to my professional roles, I currently sit as a Board Trustee on the Texas Bar Foundation and have served as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Judicial Section, the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and served as Treasurer of the National Association of Women Judges. I am also active in several community and national organizations, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Responsibility.org Judicial Advisory Board, and the Lola Wright Foundation. My work has been recognized locally and nationally, including the MADD National President’s Award for Criminal Justice, the Austin Under 40 Award, and the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Pathfinder Award, recognized for being a role model and pioneer, shattering stereotypes and blazing trails for female attorneys.
Throughout my career, I’ve tried to use my courtroom not only to deliver justice but to foster responsibility, self-reform, and community healing. I regularly speak on restorative justice, smart-on-crime policies, and how we can build a more effective and compassionate justice system. I was honored to be asked by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission to present at the 15th Anniversary Symposium commemorating the signing of the Fair Defense Act.
Beyond the bench, I have served in leadership roles in the Austin Bar Association, the Austin Bar Foundation, and the Austin Young Lawyers Association, and was honored to receive the Outstanding Alumni Award. I have also served on the boards and worked with community groups like the Salvation Army, Community Action Network, Leadership Austin and Volunteer Legal Services of Austin.
Giving back is extremely important to me, and I have enjoyed mentoring young people through programs like the National Women Judges’ Color of Justice, which encourages students from all backgrounds to consider a future in law.
I am also incredibly proud to be a wife and mom. My husband, Jeffrey Clark, is the President of the Advanced Power Alliance where he fights to expand the use of clean renewable energy. Together, we’ve raised two amazing daughters, one who is a young lawyer starting her career in Austin and another who is a second-year law student.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me. I believe deeply in the work I do and the community I serve. I hope I can continue earning your trust —both on the bench and out in the community we all love.
