--- title: "Chantal Melissa Eldridge | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chantal-melissa-eldridge" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Chantal Melissa Eldridge Texas 331st District Court · District Judge ## Profile - Court: Texas 331st District Court - State: Texas - Role: District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - The presiding judge of the Texas 331st District Court in Travis County, serving since January 2019 and running for re‐election in November 2026 - Presiding Judge, Texas 331st Judicial District Court, Austin, TX, 2019-2022 - Law Clerk, District Court, N.D. California, CA, ?-present - Law Clerk, District Court, E.D. California, San Jose, CA, ?-present - The court is located at the Blackwell‐Thurman Criminal Justice Center, 509 West 11th St., 9th Floor, Austin, TX - Currently seeking re‐election to continue her work in Travis County’s criminal justice system - Advocated for restorative justice and reduced recidivism ### Education - summa cum laude — Santa Clara University — 1989 - BA — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — 1986 ### Additional information - Practitioner, Law Office of Chantal M. Eldridge, Austin, TX, 2003-present - Practitioner, Law Office of Chantal M. Eldridge, Cookeville, TN, 1996-2004 - Pro Hac Vice/Co-Counsel, Buck and Buck Attorneys, Cookeville, TN, 1994-1996 - Practitioner, Frandzel and Share, San Francisco, CA, 1993-1994 - Practitioner, Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, San Francisco, CA, 1991-1993 - Practitioner, Loeb & Loeb, Los Angeles, CA, 1990-1991 - Practitioner, California Supreme Courts, San Francisco, CA, 1989-1989 - Practitioner, Private Practice, Austin, TX, ?-present - Before becoming a judge, Eldridge had over 25 years of experience as a criminal defense attorney. - overseeing criminal cases in Travis County. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote appearances Scope: statewide In civil district and county court proceedings, the court may permit or require electronic participation after appropriate notice; compelled electronic participation for oral-testimony proceedings requires good cause or party agreement, and a jury trial requires party agreement. Evidence excerpt: Upon appropriate notice by a party or the court, a court may allow or require a participant to appear at a court proceeding by videoconference, teleconference, or other available electronic means, except as otherwise provided in (2). [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### civil recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Civil district and county trial courts may permit courtroom recording or broadcasting only under Supreme Court guidelines, with the required party and witness consent, or for ceremonial proceedings. Evidence excerpt: A trial court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing of proceedings in the courtroom only in the following circumstances: [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Official roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster](https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspx) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15614/chantal-melissa-eldridge/) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15614/chantal-melissa-eldridge/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chantal-melissa-eldridge", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/chantal-melissa-eldridge", "name": "Chantal Melissa Eldridge | KnowJudges", "description": "Chantal Melissa Eldridge, Texas 331st District Court. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-a5f587f769df9f3231ef4f9a) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.