The Honorable Rosie Alvarado
Judge, 438th District Court
Judge Rosie Alvarado presides over the 438th District Court in Bexar County, Texas. She is a graduate of St. Mary's University and St. Mary's Law School. She earned a degree in biology in 1999, and a law degree in 2002. She is licensed to practice law in all Texas courts, and in the United States District Court for the Western and Southern districts of Texas. Prior to her service on the bench, she represented individuals in personal injury and family law matters. She also enjoyed a successful federal civil litigation practice involving federal false claims act cases and civil rights cases involving police misconduct.
She grew up in a family dedicated to serving its community and took those experiences with her to the bench. In addition to her duties as a district court Judge, Judge Alvarado manages a therapeutic court, called PEARLS Court. PEARLS stands for preparation, esteem, achievement, resiliency, learning, strength, and stamina. The mission of PEARLS Court is to invest in female girls ages 14 to 18 who have been placed in foster care. These youth are more likely to be truant, incarcerated, homeless, jobless, and become teen parents. Statistics reveal a dismal outcome for this population of girls. 33% become homeless and only 3% graduate from college. PEARLS Court gives these foster youth a network of support that values their whole selves and inherent strengths. PEARLS Court supplies therapeutic care and case management, life skills training, and mentoring. And, the statistics speak for themselves – 88% of the girls in the program advance to the next grade level, 92% forego motherhood, and 72% of our high school graduates are accepted to higher education institutions (2019-2020 program year statistics).
Judge Alvarado is the Local Administrative Judge for Bexar County. She serves on the Bexar County Juvenile Court Board. She is the Chair of the Children's Court Oversight Committee for the district courts and serves on various committees within the Bexar County District Courts Administration. During her service at the Court she received the La Prensa Foundation Women in Action Award and the Northside Education Foundation Pillar of Character Award. She is also a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
When not serving her community, she is an engaged and proud mother of two teens! Her hobbies include cycling and fitness, gardening, writing, and extreme adventuring (skiing, white water rafting, hiking, camping, and scuba diving).