Garcia was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1993, to a seat vacated by Judge Emilio M. Garza, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1991.

[2] On February 26, 2014, in San Antonio, Garcia overturned the Texas ban on same-sex marriage, ruling that the prohibition is unconstitutional and stigmatizes the relationship of gay couples in the conservative state.

[3] In August 2017, Garcia granted a preliminary injunction against Texas Senate Bill 4, which imposed prohibitions against certain local policies relating to illegal immigration.

[4] That injunction was reversed in part by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in May 2018.

[5] As chief judge, starting in 2020, the allegedly litigant-friendly behavior of Judge Alan Albright of the Waco division of the court led to a significant increase in patent filings in that division.