Tagle was raised in a small South Texas town called Robstown.
She enjoyed reading books at an early age and spent most of her time in the local library.
Two years later she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from East Texas State University where she decided to become a full-time librarian.
In the summer 1975, she decided to attend law school and began studying at the University of Texas in Austin.
[2] In 1977, she returned to Corpus Christi where she worked as an assistant county attorney.
She was a law clerk for the Legal Aid Society of Central Texas.
[3] After working for the District Attorney's office, she began teaching at Del Mar College from 1981 to 1985.
Tagle was nominated by President Bill Clinton on August 10, 1995 to a new seat created by 104 Stat.