Meet

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble

Maya Guerra Gamble is a lifelong Austinite and the first judge elected to preside over Travis County's 459th District Court.

Before becoming a judge, Maya built her career as a trial lawyer, specializing in Child Protective Services cases and devoting her practice to protecting the most vulnerable in our community. She also worked on whistleblower cases, including one that secured a settlement of more than $100 million against a major hospital chain for fraud.

Maya’s commitment to service extends beyond the courtroom. She has served as Vice President of the Austin Bar Association, launched the inaugural Equity Summit with more than 350 participants, and created mentoring programs to support new lawyers. She also gives her time as a Scoutmaster for a local girls’ troop and serves on the Executive Board of the Capital Area Council of Scouting America.

Maya earned her B.A. and J.D. from Yale University. She and her husband, Chris, have been married for more than 20 years and are proud parents of two children.

    • Austin Bar Association: Vice President, Board of Directors; Chair of Mentoring Committee.

    • Equity Summit Founder: Helped launch and grow this annual event, advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

    • Child Welfare Advocacy: Served on state and county committees to improve outcomes for children in foster care and Child Protective Services.

    • Scouting America: Founder and Scoutmaster of Troop 99; former Cub Scout leader; Executive Board Member, Capital Area Council.

    • PTA Leadership: Volunteer roles at Fulmore Middle School and Bryker Woods Elementary.

    • First judge elected to the 459th District Court.

    • Chair, Travis County Security Committee.

    • Child Welfare Attorney, Solo Practice.

    • Of Counsel, O’Connell & Soifer LLP.

    • Assistant Attorney General, State of Texas.

    • Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program.

    • Law Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

    • 4-5-2019
      Inns of Court Larry York mentoring luncheon – A Judge’s View of the 1st Year on the Bench

    • 10-9-2019
      Overview of the Judiciary

    • 12-2019
      Inn of Court Team Presentation

    • 1-10-2020
      Effective Trial Advocacy from New Judges’ Perspective

    • 2-7-2020
      Bar to Bench:  So You Want to be a Judge?
      HBAA

    • 2-14-2020
      Getting Elected

    • 3-6-2020
      Ethics of Trial Court Practice

    • 3-10-2020
      Government Internship – UT Law School class

    • 5-1-2020
      Couch Bar via Zoom

    • 5-16-2020
      DJ Panel
      Annual Family Law CLE

    • 8-27-2020
      Advanced Consumer & Collection Law – A Judge’s View of the 1st Year on the Bench

    • 9-3-2020
      15th Annual Adv. Texas Admin. Law – Judicial Panel

    • 9-24-2020
      Moderated Panel on HBAA Origins

    • 9-25-2020
      Bench Bar 2020 – Ethics & Discovery

    • 10-2-2020
      Virtual Jury Trial Roundtable

    • 11-14-2020
      Ultimate Trial Notebook

    • 12-4-2020
      VLS Divorce Basics Judicial Panel

    • 12-2020
      Inn of Court Team Presentation

    • 4-9-2021
      Austin Bar: History of Equity

    • 5-14-2021
      Equity Summit

    • 5-25-2021
      Bar to Bench: Nuts & Bolts
      HBAA

    • 7-14-2021
      Advanced Civil Trials in San Antonio

    • 8-26-2021
      Advanced Workers Comp Law

    • 9-2-2021
      Business Disputes Conference

    • 9-17-2021
      Privacy Law Seminar

    • 10-22-2021
      CAFA Advanced Child Welfare Law CLE

    • 10-29-2021
      Judge Tips on Zoom Presentations

    • 12-2021
      Inn of Court Team Presentation

    • 2-24-2022
      Speaking at Law School

    • 3-9-2022
      Judge Roundtable, Center for Women in the Law, UT Law School

    • 6-3-2022
      Panel on New Discovery Rules, Bench Bar
      Austin Bar Association

    • 6-10-2022
      Moderate Panel, Equity Summit
      Austin Bar Association

    • 9-22-2022
      View From the Bench, Advanced Consumer & Commercial Law

    • 9-29-2022
      Keynote Speech, UT System General Counsel’s Annual Legal Conference

    • 10-28-2022
      Collections in Family Law Cases, New Frontiers in Marital Law
      State Bar of Texas

    • 10-31-2022
      Redo of UT System speech for UT Law class “Advocacy”

    • 12-6-2022
      Inn of Court Team Presentation

    • 3-7-2023
      Coffee with the Court
      Institute of Women in the Law

    • 5-5-2023
      Bench Bar

    • 5-18-2023
      BookClub:  Lessons in Chemistry
      TCWLA

    • 6-17-2023
      Judging a High Profile Case
      TX-ABOTA conference in Santa Fe

    • 9-6-2023
      Receiverships & Structured Settlement Sales
      Texas Center for the Judiciary Annual Conference

    • 9-12-2023
      Judging a High Profile Case
      CATLA Luncheon

    • 9-14-2023
      Judging a High Profile Case
      LatinX Judges

    • 9-29-2023
      “Modern Day Trial Notebook: The Changing Landscape for Austin Lawyers”
      Ultimate Trial Notebook Seminar

    • 10-26-2023
      Judging a High Profile Case
      Texas Minority Counsel Program

    • 11-17-2023
      HBNA Panel/Tour of Courthouses

    • 11-27-2024
      War Stories
      Wine & War Stories, Litigation Section

    • 1-18-2024
      Discovery Issues
      Civil Litigation Update, State Litigation Section

    • 2-13-2024
      A Year at CFCF
      CATLA

    • 3-5-2024
      Guest speaker
      Mark Levy’s “Paper Chase” UT class

    • 3-12-2024
      Team 6: Stay out of Trouble over Spring Break
      Barbara Jordan Inn of Court

    • 4-17-2024
      Keynote Speech
      Laredo Commission on Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

    • 5-8-2024
      Career Day Speaker
      Josephine Houston Elementary

    • 5-17-2024
      Bench Bar: Ethics in Discovery Panel
      Austin Bar Association

    • 5-23-2024
      Equity Summit: Update on Education Law, Moderator
      Austin Bar Association

    • 8-5-2024
      Top Ten Mistakes in Contempt
      Advanced Family Law

    • 8-17-2024
      Panel with Elizabeth Williamson
      Deer Valley Conference

    • 9-20-2024
      Discovery & Spoliation
      Business Disputes

    • 9-20-2024
      High Profile Cases
      Ultimate Trial Notebook

    • 10-18-2024
      Panel on Judicial Security
      NAWJ Annual Conference

    • 1-16-2025
      Protecting Children from Trauma of Court
      Annual Judicial Conference: Family

    • 2-19-2025
      Q & A
      Young Women of Austin Event

    • 2-20-2025
      View From the Bench
      Construction Law Section

    • 3-7-2025
      LatinX Judges Law Student Symposium Panel

    • 4-11-2025
      Panel
      Bench Bar

    • 5-16-2025
      Judges Panel
      Austin Bar Family Section Annual CLE

    • 6-25-2025
      Moderator: Lawyers as Jurors
      Austin Bar CLE

    • 9-18-2025
      Practical Writing & Argument Tips
      Austin Bar Appellate Section CLE

    • 10-1-2025
      Women, Wellness, & the Law
      Speaker

    • 10-1-2025
      Law School Class: Judicial Interns
      Guest Speaker at Vasu’s Class

    • 10-24-2025
      Ethics of Handling a Family Assault Case
      Speaker w/Leigh Mathews Rodriguez

    • 10-24-2025
      Voir Dire Judges Panel
      Voir Dire Institute

    • 11-6-2025
      Divorce: Ethics Dos & Don’ts
      Speaker

    • 11-14-2025
      Ultimate Trial Notebook

    • Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award, Austin Bar Association (2025).

    • Finalist, TMCP Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).

    • U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service (2000).

    • Texas Attorney General’s Merit Award (2002).

    • National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Law Enforcement Award (2003).

    • Named on the 50 most courageous judges of all time by the National College of the Judiciary.

    • Many others recognizing her decades of service and impact.