--- title: "Melissa Saenz | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melissa-saenz" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-07-28" --- # Melissa Saenz Texas County Court at Law No. 2 · Judge, Bexar County Court at Law No. 2 ## Profile - Court: Texas County Court at Law No. 2 - State: Texas - Role: Judge, Bexar County Court at Law No. 2 - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-28 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Bexar County publishes operating guidance for courtroom presentation equipment, including V Cart displays, BARCO wireless casting, ELMO document cameras, and audio or video playback. Evidence excerpt: Upgraded equipment is in all courtrooms in the Bexar County Courthouse including civil, criminal, probate, county, and district courts. [Bexar County Courtrooms Technology & Equipment Guide](https://www.bexar.org/DocumentCenter/View/31807/Courtroom-Technology--Equipment-Guide) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### audio video and exhibits Scope: courtwide The guide recommends using the ELMO to publish pictures and the V Cart or courtroom CPU for video and audio playback, while warning counsel not to display work product or evidence not yet admitted. Evidence excerpt: Any videos or audio recordings play better on the V Cart/ CPU. [Bexar County Courtrooms Technology & Equipment Guide](https://www.bexar.org/DocumentCenter/View/31807/Courtroom-Technology--Equipment-Guide) Source checked: 2026-07-28 ### 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://www.bexar.org/1825/County-Court-2) - [Official roster](https://www.bexar.org/1825/County-Court-2) - [Bexar County Court at Law No. 2 official judicial roster](https://www.bexar.org/1825/County-Court-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) - [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) - [Bexar County Courtrooms Technology & Equipment Guide](https://www.bexar.org/DocumentCenter/View/31807/Courtroom-Technology--Equipment-Guide) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melissa-saenz", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/melissa-saenz", "name": "Melissa Saenz | KnowJudges", "description": "Melissa Saenz, Texas County Court at Law No. 2. 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Saenz is a Democratic Party judge serving on Bexar County Court at Law No. 2 in San Antonio, Texas, elected in 2022 and currently running for re‐election in 2026 - She held a position as both a defense attorney and an Assistant District Attorney in the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office ### Education - Undergraduate: University of Texas at San Antonio - Law Degree: Texas Tech University School of Law — J.D. ### Additional information - On the ballot for re‐election in the November 3, 2026 general election. - She assumed office January 1, 2023, and her term runs through December 31, 2026. - Before joining the bench, Saenz had a 12‐year career in criminal law in Texas. - Saenz presides over County Court at Law No. 2 at the Cadena‐Reeves Justice Center, 300 Dolorosa St., 1st Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205. - High School: Southwest High School, San Antonio, TX - She graduated in the top 10% of her class and has cited her professors and mentors as major influences on her legal career. - She credits her early legal mentors for encouraging her to be assertive when facts didn’t make sense and for valuing diversity in the legal profession. ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-119ce7e69a3752f1da3cfce0) — 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. - [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.