The Honorable Erica R. Hughes was Appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland as a U.S. Immigration Judge in 2021. She was the first African American female to serve as presiding Judge of Harris County Criminal Court at Law # 3, serving from 2019-2021. She was the first African American and female Judge for Harris County Veterans Court from 2019-2021. Erica received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University and her J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. She joined the United States Army, worked at State Farm Insurance and was a professor at San Jacinto College. She is a board member for the Association of Women Attorneys Foundation, Youth Worship Director at Higher Dimension Church and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
