Best choices for 4th Court, district courts
Bexar County voters will be casting ballots for five district court benches and selecting a new chief justice for the San Antonio-based 4th Court of Appeals in November.
In recent elections, political party sweeps have ousted a number of well-respected and experienced members of the judiciary. Perhaps that will change this year without straight-party voting in Texas, but we have our doubts. Regardless, judicial elections in Texas are overdue for reforms to remove partisanship.
This will be the first of two editorials recommending judicial candidates. The second editorial covering our recommendations for the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will run in Monday’s paper.
For Chief Justice of the 4th Court of Appeals, we recommend Rebeca Martinez, a Democrat who has held the Place 7 bench on this intermediate appellate court for eight years. She faces Renée Yanta, an appellate attorney and former judge. If elected as presiding judge of this court, Martinez would have to resign her current bench. The pandemic has changed the justice system, and Martinez has some innovative ideas for improving the transparency of the court, addressing technology concerns, and ensuring staff and the public can safely return to court.
In conversations with those familiar with Martinez, we heard praise for her work ethic, demeanor and knowledge of the law, but concerns were raised about her judicial temperament and treatment of staff, colleagues and others.
This is an open seat as 4th Court Chief Justice Sandee Bryan Marion plans to retire at the end of the year. This is one of 14 appeals courts in the state and has jurisdiction over civil and non-death penalty criminal appeals cases in 32 counties, including Bexar.
The five district court races on the ballot include two criminal and two civil court benches, and one juvenile court bench. Several former judges are seeking a return to the bench.
In the 37th District Civil Court bench race, we recommend Democrat Nicole Garza, a former schoolteacher who has been practicing law for 20 years. Garza has a passion for providing access to the civil justice system for lower-income Texans and has been recognized for that work by the State Bar of Texas. She faces attorney Joseph Appelt, who defaced signs of an opponent in a previous election. In the 386th Juvenile Court race, we recommend Democrat Jackie Valdés, a veteran prosecutor who unseated Arcelia Treviño, a controversial incumbent judge, during the primary. Valdés has more than a decade of experience handling juvenile cases and would restore some much-needed professionalism to the operation of this court. She faces former Juvenile Court Judge Daphne Previti Austin. Both are outstanding, but we think Valdés has earned this moment.
In the 399th Criminal District Court race, we recommend incumbent Democrat Frank J. Castro for a second term. A political newcomer four years ago, Castro quickly earned a reputation as a hardworking judge by tackling a massive case backlog and establishing a manageable caseload. In his first term in office, Castro has handled dozens of felony jury trials and two capital murder cases. Castro’s criminal law experience exceeds his opponent, Judge Walden Shelton.
In the 407th Civil District Court race, we recommend Democrat Tina Torres, who has more than two decades of legal experience. She served briefly as an appointee to County Court-at-Law No. 10 in November 2013 after the judge in that court stepped down to seek another office. This an open bench as District Judge Karen H. Pozza is retiring. Torres faces former Judge Stephani Walsh.
In the 144th Criminal Court race, we recommend Republican Melisa Skinner. She was the judge of the 290th District Court for eight years but lost that seat in 2018 during a Democratic sweep at the polls. She faces Judge Michael Mery, who lost his seat in the 37th District Civil Court in the primary to Garza. In January 2019, Skinner was hired by the district attorney as the lead prosecutor in the 144th District Court. In August, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Skinner to this bench following the death of Judge Ray Olivarri. That appointment is only to the end of the year. If elected, she would serve the two years left on Olivarri’s unexpired term. In temperament and expertise, she far exceeds Mery.