He served as an Associate Justice (ministro) of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation since 26 January 1995, having previously served extensively elsewhere in the judiciary, including the Federal Electoral Tribunal.

On 3 January 2011, he was elected Chief Justice for a term that ended on 31 December 2014.

He earned his law degree at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ernesto Zedillo in December 1994 and ratified by the Senate in January 1995.

[1] Silva was Chief Justice of Mexico's Supreme Court of Justice when the court received a United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2013.