Thresa "Terry" Meza (born August 1, 1949) is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from the 105th district.

Early life and education

Born in

Oak Cliff Oak Cliff is an area of Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town in Dallas County; established in 1887 and annexed by Dallas in 1903, Oak Cliff has retained a distinct neighborhood identity as one of Dallas' older establ ...

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, she was raised in

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is an Inner suburb, inner city suburb of Dallas. Irving is noted for its #Demographics, racial and ethnic diver ...

and attended Irving High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (now Texas A&M University School of Law).

Career

Prior to serving in the

, Meza worked as a teacher at South Grand Prairie High School and operated an independent legal practice. Meza was elected to the House in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Rodney Anderson. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In 2020, Meza introduced HB196, a bill to modify Texas' "

Castle Doctrine A castle doctrine, also known as a castle law or a defense of habitation law, is a legal doctrine that designates a person's abode or any legally occupied place (for example, an automobile or a home) as a place in which that person has protection ...

" to require homeowners to retreat into their own homes if it can safely be done rather than using deadly force against those who are stealing property from outside their home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meza, Terry Living people 1949 births Politicians from Dallas People from Irving, Texas 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Texas Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives People from Oak Cliff, Texas 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature