State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa is a native of Mission, Texas with a civil and criminal-defense practice in South Texas. He was first elected to represent SD-20 in 2002. He previously served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1981 to 1991, and again from 1997 to 2002. He is the current chairman of the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus, vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and serves on the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Criminal Justice, Natural Resource, Redistricting (select), Transportation and Homeland Security. He also serves on the Medicaid, Public Safety, and Higher Education Funding subcommittees.

As a legislator Hinojosa has been placed on Texas Monthly’s "Top 10 Legislators" list twice for his all-around contributions to the Texas Legislature. He received an “Honorable Mention” from the publication in 2007 for his efforts to reform the Texas Youth Commission.

Hinojosa served his country in the U.S. Marines Corps as a squad leader during the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1968. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas-Pan American and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Following law school Hinojosa returned home to serve as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Nueces County and as an assistant attorney general for the Office of the Attorney General. In 1980, he began his private practice in McAllen, Texas.