DEPARTMENT: Municipal Court
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Carla Obledo, Presiding Judge
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Reappointment of full-time and part-time Municipal Court Judges
SUMMARY:
This Ordinance reappoints nine (9) full-time and five (5) part-time San Antonio Municipal Court Judges to the remainder of a two-year term, expiring April 30, 2022. Duties include the performance of Magistrate duties, as assigned by the Presiding Judge.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Municipal Court Judges are appointed by City Council every two years (even-numbered) years, with an effective date of May 1. Municipal Court Judges must: (1) be a U.S. citizen; (2) a Texas resident; (3) a licensed attorney in good standing; (4) have practiced law in Texas for a minimum of two years; and (5) a resident of the City of San Antonio for at least three years immediately preceding appointment.
The Municipal Court Advisory Committee undertook the appointment process in the fall of 2019, and met on several occasions into early 2020 to consider the applications and make recommendations for appointments. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 disrupted this process before the City Council could act on the judicial appointments, and the Committee agreed to delay appointments of the judges until after the City budget was adopted.
The recommendation of the Committee is to reappoint the current full-time Judges: Melanie A. Castillo, Clarissa L. Chavarria, Lisa M. Gonzales, Daniel Guerrero, James Daniel Kassahn, Linda H. Lewis, Margarita S. Pol, Michael Ramos and Peter Andrew Zamora; and to reappoint the current part-time Judges: Kenneth Bell, Lauren M. Lefton, Frank D. Sandoval, Alfredo Macias Tavera and Aida Ann Zaragoza.
ISSUE:
The current San Antonio Municipal Court judges are serving in holdover, as their terms expired April 30, 2020.
ALTERNATIVES:
The alternative would require qualification of new applicants, leaving current judges in holdover until new appointments can be made. This will not change the term of office. Appointments are for the remainder of unexpired terms, beginning May 1, even-numbered year and ending on April 30, two years later.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This Ordinance reappoints nine (9) full-time and five (5) part-time San Antonio Municipal Court Judges to the remainder of a two-year term, expiring April 30, 2022. Duties include the performance of Magistrate duties, as assigned by the Presiding Judge. Judicial salaries and compensation are part of Municipal Court’s General Fund FY 2021 Adopted Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Municipal Court Advisory Committee recommends the reappointment of (9) full-time and five (5) part-time judges.