Active Trial judge
Texas 459th District Court
Texas · Travis
Overview
Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile.
Background
Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project public biographical data. Demographic and political labels are incomplete, source-attributed, and are not used to infer judicial behavior. “Via appointer” describes CourtListener’s attribution method, not verified personal party membership.
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.
Judge-specific guidance is shown first. Broader applicable courtroom, courtwide, districtwide, and statewide guidance remains separately labeled below it.
Presentation rules
The 459th Civil District Court strongly prefers electronic exhibits uploaded to Box. PowerPoint presentations and demonstratives should also be uploaded to Box or supplied in at least two paper copies.
If you use a PowerPoint presentation or demonstrative aid, please upload them to Box or bring at least two paper copies
The requirement is stated in an official standing order naming this judge.
Before a jury trial in the 459th Civil District Court, all attorneys must certify that they completed the Court IT staff's technology training.
All attorneys must certify to the Court before a jury trial that you have taken the Technology Training offered by the Court IT staff.
The requirement is stated in an official standing order naming this judge.
Travis County courtrooms support PowerPoint, digitized exhibits, taped depositions, video evidence, document-camera material, and laptop presentations, but counsel must first obtain the judge's permission before routing a laptop presentation to the courtroom displays.
YOU MUST FIRST make sure the Judge is ok with you presenting. Then the Judge will have to unlock the video routing source button for you to use it.
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
Virtual or hybrid hearings, trials, and witness appearances must be arranged in advance and approved by the court.
Any requests for hybrid or virtual options for hearings/trials/witnesses must be pre-arranged and approved by the Court.
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
Travis County uses a central civil docket. Unless a case is specially assigned, an available judge may hear a hearing or trial regardless of the district court in which the case was filed.
hearings and trials are assigned to available judges without regard to the court in which the case is filed.
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
District-court hearings and trials are in person by default. A remote proceeding requires agreement of all parties or a good-cause finding, and arrangements must be made before the proceeding.
All hearings and trials (proceedings) will be in person unless (a) all parties agree ... or (b) a judge finds good cause to determine that a remote proceeding is appropriate.
The requirement is stated in current official court rules and is attached at court scope, not as a personal preference.
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).
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
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:
The requirement is stated in an official statewide source and is attached as applicable guidance, not as a personal preference.
Courtroom technology
Technology availability is separate from procedural permission and evidentiary admissibility.
Published opinion footprint
This does not mean the judge has no published opinions or no caseload. KYJ will only show opinion counts after transparent, source-linked CourtListener matching is available.
Sources
Identity source · HTML · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/courts/civil/district/459Identity source · HTML · retrieved July 29, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/15696/maya-s-guerra-gamble/Courtroom-specific · HTML · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/courts/civil/district/459Statewide · PDF · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdfStatewide · PDF · retrieved July 26, 2026
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdfCourtwide · PDF · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/images/courts/Docs/20230203-Attorney_E-Courtroom_Documentation_Final.pdfCourtwide · PDF · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/images/courts/Docs/20241120-Amended_LOCAL_RULES_as_of_Nov_15_2024.pdfJudge-specific · PDF · retrieved July 28, 2026
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/images/courts/Docs/20250630-Second_Amended_459th_Civil_District_Court.pdfChange history
Identity imported from Travis County 459th Civil District Court. 8 presentation-related claims migrated with source provenance.