Michael Truncale was appointed by President Donald J. Trump on May 16, 2019. As a nominee, he received the unanimous well-qualified rating by the American Bar Association.

Prior to confirmation, Judge Truncale was a trial lawyer thirty-four years with the firm of Orgain Bell & Tucker, LLP. After trying his first lawsuit to verdict one week after he was licensed, he tried a broad range of cases in state and federal courts throughout Texas. He was also a certified mediator, having mediated over 2,000 cases, and was a Fellow in the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Judge Truncale is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and Board Certified in Personal Injury Litigation by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. From 2004 through 2018, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charges—Malpractice, Premises, and Products Liability. Currently, he serves on the Fifth Circuit Pattern Jury Charge for Criminal Law.

Judge Truncale recently completed a term as the Federal Judicial Liaison to the State Bar Board of Directors. He is a past president of the Eastern District Bar Association, the Jefferson County Bar Association, and the Michelle F. Mehaffy Chapter of the American Inn of Court.

Prior to becoming a judge, was appointed to the Board of Regents of the Texas State University System and the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board. He earned a BBA in Economics from Lamar University, an MBA from the University of North Texas, and a JD from Southern Methodist University.