---
title: "Selena Alvarenga | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/selena-alvarenga"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-07-26"
---

# Selena Alvarenga

Texas 460th District Court · District Judge

## Profile

- Court: Texas 460th 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.

## 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)
- [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)

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## 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.



## 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.