El Paso Matters – El Paso municipal court judge runoff pits appointed incumbent against political newcomer

The race for judge of El Paso Municipal Court No. 4 pits an appointed incumbent who has previously run unsuccessfully for office against an attorney and political newcomer who never voted until his own name was on the ballot.

Lauren Ferris, 37, an attorney who has been twice appointed to serve as a municipal judge, is vying to keep her seat against attorney Samuel Flores, 38, in the Dec. 14 runoff election.

A managing attorney at Sam Flores Law for the last nine years, Flores is seeking public office for the first time. He registered to vote in 2014, but cast his first-ever ballot in the Nov. 5 general election that sent him into the runoff.

He said he hadn’t been interested in politics because he had been focused on his family and career. “I didn’t want to mix my career with politics,” he said, referring to judicial elections, “so I had stayed away from it for a long time…”

When asked about other elections, Flores repeated he had been focused on establishing his practice and his family, as well as on community service projects such as providing meals to low-income families in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. Without providing details, he said he had been discouraged from voting because his views don’t always align with those seeking office, saying he’s now transitioning into politics and wants to be involved.

Ferris, who has been a frequent voter since registering at age 18, said she believes a strong voting record shows interest and investment in your community and that you care about the people running the justice system and the local government.

“Especially as an attorney, it shows that you care about the democratic system and have faith in it,” she said. “If you don’t, then why are you running to be part of it?”

Flores received 42.6% of the vote in the three-way race in the Nov. 5 general election, with Ferris following with 35% of the vote, sending them into the runoff. The third candidate, Felix Castañon, received 22% of the vote.

El Paso Municipal Court judges handle civil traffic citations issued within the city limits and Class C misdemeanors such as city or animal code violations, thefts under $100 and public intoxication, among others. Judges are nonpartisan and serve four-year terms. Municipal court judges are paid $58,320 a year.

Candidates for municipal judge must have lived in the city for at least a year preceding the election, be at least 21 years old and must be licensed to practice law in Texas.

The city has five municipal court judges plus a court of appeals judge. Judges for municipal courts Nos. 1, 2 and 3 ran unopposed in November. Former District Judge Mike Herrera was elected to Municipal Court No. 5; while Maria Ramirez was reelected to the municipal court of appeals.

Early voting runs through Dec. 10, with Election Day on Saturday, Dec. 14. The runoff ballot also includes the mayoral race as well as races for city representatives for Districts 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7.

Here’s more about the candidates for judge of Municipal Court No. 4.

Lauren Ferris

Ferris received a bachelor’s in political science with a minor in criminal justice from the University of Texas at El Paso, later graduating from the University of Arkansas Bowen Law School. She’s a trained mediator, a volunteer at her church, a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and serves on the executive board of the El Paso Young Lawyers Association.

She previously worked as a Social Security disability law attorney with Wayne Wright, LLP, an assistant city attorney and prosecutor for the city of El Paso, later opening her private practice as a defense attorney.

Ferris was appointed municipal court judge in December 2019 to fill an unexpired term left by a judge who resigned, then ran unsuccessfully for election in 2020. She ran unsuccessfully for District 1 city representative in 2022, a seat now held by Brian Kennedy. The council appointed her to the municipal judge seat again in December 2023 to fill the unexpired term of Enrique Holguin, who was appointed to a federal magistrate position.

Ferris said her experience and knowledge of the position gives her a great advantage over her opponent, adding that she’s managed to address a backlog that occurred during the pandemic. She said most cases are heard within a month, compared to a year or more during the pandemic. The caseload is typically between 150 to 200 cases daily, she said.

She cites her approach on the bench as fair and compassionate.

“I would rather help people come into compliance rather than just issuing a fine and be done with it,” she said. “That requires taking time to listen, being a good, temperamental judge with compassion, experience and knowledge to understand and explain what’s happening to the people before you.”

Documents show Ferris has raised $2,230 in campaign contributions as of Oct. 28, with the next filings due Friday. The majority of her donors are other attorneys, though she also received $200 from CAM El Paso Investments, $500 from developer Douglas Schwartz, and a $750 in-kind contribution from Cedar Entertainment and Event Productions, run by her brother Christopher Ferris, for graphic design services. She has spent less than $500, mostly on yard signs.

Samuel Flores

Flores was born in El Paso and raised in Ciudad Juárez. He earned a bachelor’s in political science with a minor in economics from UTEP, and later earned his law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.

After graduating from law school, he moved back to El Paso and took the Texas bar exam – thinking he might later take the California bar exam and practice there. He decided instead to remain in El Paso, where he worked with attorney Mark Davis. Flores said he absorbed as much as he could from colleagues and judges before opening his own practice alongside his wife.

After about a decade of helping clients with civil and criminal cases, including misdemeanors to felonies, he decided he wanted to serve the community from behind the bench while advancing his career to his goal of becoming a county or district court judge. 

Flores described his leadership style as a team player at the office with his staff and clients, and as a teammate at home with his wife and children.

He said as a municipal court judge, his first priority would be to keep the community safe from people who commit crimes – including those who break traffic laws and don’t follow city codes that are in the books for a reason.

“Ensuring the community’s safety is first in my book,” he said. “Once you have a case before you as a judge, your decision impacts whomever is out there… not just the person in front of you in the court.”

Flores said while it’s important to consider the defendant, they’re likely in the courtroom because they’ve committed a crime or violation that needs to be addressed. He said he would not rule with emotion, but rather would lean into what the law dictates. He points out that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be “nice,” but that he believes in enforcing the law as it’s written.

Flores has not filed any campaign contributions, saying he has not campaigned much beyond social media and word of mouth from clients, friends and supporters. He said he paid very little out of pocket for some banners and yard signs but didn’t report them.

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