W. Denn Whalen at a glance
- Current role
- District Judge
- Court
- Texas 70th District Court
- Jurisdiction
- Texas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
W. Denn Whalen
District Judge · Texas 70th District Court
Available research
Biography
Professional career
- Practitioner, TX, ?-present
Judicial service
- Judge, Odessa Municipal Court, Odessa, TX, ?-2006
- Presiding Judge, Texas 70th Judicial District Court, Odessa, TX, 2007-2010
- Presiding Judge, Texas 70th Judicial District Court, Odessa, TX, 2011-2014
- Presiding Judge, Texas 70th Judicial District Court, Odessa, TX, 2015-2018
- Presiding Judge, Texas 70th Judicial District Court, Odessa, TX, 2019-2022
Education
- The University of Texas at Austin · BA, 1979
- Texas Tech University · JD, 1982
Courtroom rules and guidance
Civil Remote Appearances
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 ↗
Civil Recording And Broadcasting
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 ↗
Sources
Texas Office of Court Administration official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://card.txcourts.gov/directorysearch.aspxCourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16166/w-denn-whalen/Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 21d, Appearances at Court Proceedings
Judge research source · PDF · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdfTexas Rule of Civil Procedure 18c, Recording and Broadcasting of Court Proceedings
Judge research source · PDF · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.txcourts.gov/media/1462948/texas-rules-of-civil-procedure-july-1-2026.pdf