San Antonio Municipal Court Advisory Committee Meeting - May 27, 2026: Interview of Judge Candidates and Recommendation of Slate
San Antonio Municipal Court Advisory Committee Meeting - May 27, 2026
The Municipal Court Advisory Committee met on May 27, 2026, at 2:02 PM to interview candidates for full-time and part-time municipal court judge positions. The committee evaluated 14 full-time and 12 part-time applicants (though the chair noted 23 interviews in total) to fill 10 full-time and 12 part-time vacancies. All current judges had applied for reappointment; their terms expired April 30, 2026, and they served in holdover capacity. After open-session interviews and an executive session, the committee reconvened at 3:59 PM and voted to recommend a slate of 11 full-time and 10 part-time judges for appointment by the full City Council for terms ending April 30, 2028. The meeting adjourned at 4:02 PM.
Consent Calendar
- The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the February 25, 2026 meeting.
Discussion Items
- Interview Process: The committee conducted interviews in open session. Each candidate was given a two-minute opening statement and then two minutes to answer one question from Councilmember Mungia: "How do you balance judicial efficiency with the need for thoroughness when managing a high volume docket in a municipal court?" All candidates answered this question.
- Candidates Interviewed: The committee interviewed 14 full-time and 12 part-time candidates, including current judges and new applicants. The chair mentioned 23 interviews, though the total listed was 26. (Transcript inconsistency noted.)
Key Outcomes
- Motion and Approval: Chair McKee Rodriguez moved to recommend the following slate for appointment by the full City Council at the next A session:
- Full-time (11 judges): Kenneth Bell, Melanie Castillo, Carisa Chaviera, Yvonne Gomez, Daniel Guerrero, Lisa Gonzalez, James Gonzane, Margarita Paul, Michael Ramos, Peter Zamora, and Anthony Ariaga.
- Part-time (10 judges): Cheryl Mendoza, Alana Pierce Alperez, Frank Sandoval, James Abianca, Rolanda Rolando Arduegas, Lori Crockett, Lauren Lefton, Veronica Legareta, Alfredo Tavera, and Daniel Garcia. (Note: The original vacancy count was 10 full-time and 12 part-time, but the recommended slate includes 11 full-time and 10 part-time judges.)
- The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The appointments will be considered by the full City Council at an upcoming A session, with terms through April 30, 2028.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. The time is now two o two PM on May twenty-seventh, twenty twenty-six, and the meeting of the municipal court advisory committee is now called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilwoman Biagran. Here. Councilwoman Alderete Gavito. Here. Councilwoman Councilman White? Councilman Mungier. Present. Chair McKee Rodriguez. Present. Chair, we have quorum. Wonderful, thank you. Uh, thank you all so much for being here today. I look forward to getting through all twenty-three interviews, I believe it is. Uh, first item though on the agenda is approval of the minutes from February twenty-fifth, twenty twenty-six. Uh, entertain a motion for approval. Second. We have a motion second. All in favor? Aye. Motion carries unanimously. I don't believe there are any members of the public sign to speak. So item two is consideration of applicants for municipal court judge. There are ten full-time and twelve part-time positions to fill. All current judges did apply for reappointment, and other attorneys also submitted applications. There are 14 candidates for full-time judges and twelve candidates for part-time judges. During the interview process, we'll seek to establish that the applicants meet the statutory and charter qualifications for municipal court judge. All current judges' terms expired April 30th, 2026, and they serve in a holdover capacity until the appointments are before the full council. The terms of the new slate will expire April 30th, 2028. And so following our review in an executive session, we will reconvene in the open session to deliberate and propose a slate for the full city council to consider and act upon at an upcoming A session. Every candidate will be given uh do we decide two minutes or three minutes for opening? Four minutes for opening statement, and then we'll have two minutes for opening statement, and then we'll have uh two questions for each of the applicants. Who do we have to begin? Oh, which Judge O'Beather. Good afternoon, Chair and Committee members. Um, so as you mentioned, there are uh ten full-time judges, funding for ten full-time judges and funding for twelve part-time judges. Um, we are ready to get started. We do have a schedule for the judges. However, uh, I do have some of the judges still back at court running courts, so we may be a little bit out of order. Are we going to be breaking into executive session to conduct the interviews? Uh we will have we will have interviews and open session, but I will ask all other applicants aside from the one being interviewed, go into the presidio room. Okay, then we'll need to go get your binders with the um applications and resumes. We put them over in the other room. We'll go get those. Okay, thank you. And if all applicants wouldn't mind stepping out as well. I don't know, I have an interesting interface. No, no, yes, ma'am.
openpublica.com