We are confident, and relieved,thatno matter who among the two Democrats and two Republicans is elected the next judge of the 148th District Court, he or she can be expected to serve with a knowledge of and respect for the law, and for the people in the courtroom. He or she also can be expected to work productively and collaboratively with the other judges at the courthouse on administrative matters.
Democrats Deborah Rios and Carlos Valdez and Republicans Bill Kelly and Mark Stolley all give us confidence in their know-how and temperament. And that is no small thing, considering whose court this has been since 2011.
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One of these four will replace Guy Williams, currently suspended without pay and awaiting trial on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges are connected toone of at least three road rage incidents involvingWilliams, his car and a gun. He also is accused of groping three women at a private party in a manner that easily could be classified as sexual assault, but is being dealt with as a human resources issue because all parties work at the courthouse.
Our choices in the primaries are Valdez and Stolley.
Rios has varied legal experience, mostly in criminal and family law. And we like her bio, havingstarted as a legal assistant, then goingback to school, motivated after having been sexually harassed in the workplace. But Valdez's resumé is impossible to overlook. He is the former longtime district attorney who served in that role with distinction. Before that, he was the county attorney. In that role he sued the state successfully over the state's role in causing overcrowding at the county jail. And in both roles he proved to be a capable administrator. Later, he was the city attorney for Corpus Christi and now he's the city attorney for George West.
Kelly has extensive civil law experience and a winning personality. He is remembered fondly for his time ascity councilman for District 1. But most of the cases that come before the 148th are criminal, the area in which Kelly's experience is almost nil. Stolley is a respected criminal defense lawyer whose services are in high demand. He was one of the lawyers who showed the gumption to cry foul when the district attorney's office under Mark Skurka had a pattern of holding onto evidence that should have been made available to defense attorneys much sooner. Lawyers avoid that kind of confrontation for fear of retaliation. Stolley's willingness to stand up for what's right and incur the risks is duly noted and appreciated. If Stolley were to win in November, we would expect a smooth relationship built on mutual respect between him and current District Attorney Mark Gonzalez.
District court races seldom are exciting. But voters' responsibility to choose wiselycan't be exaggerated. This race should be of utmost importance to them. Judges wield enormous power — power felt directly in one of the most important, most basic functions of our society, the dispensation of justice. In the wrong hands, that power becomes an instrument of injustice. Williams is living proof of how difficult it is for voters to correct the mistake of choosing a bad judge. He was re-elected in 2014 despite having exhibited inappropriate temperament and bad judgment, and having drawn aworthy opponent who would have corrected the problem.
Again, we see four good candidates in this race and will be happy with whatever outcome transpires. It would be unfair to all four to say no more than that any one of them will be better than Williams. All can meet a much higher bar, and should. But we see greater potential in Stolley and Valdez.
We don't doubt Kelly's ability to be a quick study in criminal law. And Rios can make a strong argument that her experience in courtrooms is a match for Valdez's. But the relevant experience and performance of both of our recommended candidates are pluses that voters should take into strong consideration in making this important decision.
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