Selena Alvarenga at a glance
- Current role
- District Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Selena Alvarenga
District Judge · Texas 460th District Court
Biography
Professional career
- Selena M. Alvarenga is the presiding judge of Texas’ 460th District Court in Travis County, elected in 2020 and re‐elected in 2024, serving since January 2021
- Judge Alvarenga has led the 460th District Court since her swearing‐in in January 2021, making her the first elected judge in the court’s history
- Latina immigrant judge in Travis County
- The court is located at the Blackwell‐Thurman Criminal Justice Center, 509 W
- Alvarenga emphasizes fair access to justice, reducing pretrial detention, and expanding diversion programs for substance abuse and mental health issues
- She supports restorative justice, counseling, housing, and treatment options, while also ensuring dangerous offenders are appropriately sentenced
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Our Lady of the Lake University and a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1995.
Additional information
- She has been active on the Travis County Sobering Center Board since 2021.
- Won re‐election in November 2024 with 100% of the Democratic primary vote and 393,973 total votes.
- Selena Alvarenga was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, in the 1970s and fled the country at age 13 during the Salvadoran Civil War with her father.
- Presided over the Faircloth case, the first release due to improper handling of DNA evidence by the Austin Police Department’s lab.
- Led the first in‐person jury trial after COVID‐19 lockdowns.
- 11th St., Austin, TX.
- She presides over criminal cases, including those involving serious offenses, and has been recognized for prioritizing cases where defendants have been in pretrial detention for extended periods.
- She has been a criminal defense attorney for over 23 years before joining the bench.
- She arrived in the U.S. without legal status for four years before becoming a U.S. citizen.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
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.
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 ↗
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Texas 460th District Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Texas 460th District Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 10, 2026.
Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster ↗Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings ↗Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings ↗Texas 460th District Court official directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked October 11, 2026
View Texas 460th District Court official directory ↗