A lawyer who started her career working for the District Attorney’s Office over a decade ago is running against a lawyer with ties to a local bail bonds company in the May 26 Democratic runoff race for judge of El Paso County Court at Law No. 2.
Frances Maldonado, 45, faces Christina Montes in the race after neither candidate received more than 50% of votes in the March primary. Maldonado received 34% of votes while Montes received 45% in the election that also included Sergio Saldivar.
Early voting begins Monday, May 18, and concludes Friday, May 22. Election Day is Tuesday, May 26.
Maldonado said voters have expressed a desire to learn more about the candidates running.
“They want to know who the person is behind the name and that’s one thing I’ve really tried to do, is give them information about my background, what I’ve done, who I am, what I’ll do on the bench. Because they’re trusting us with their vote and they deserve to have information,” Maldonado told El Paso Matters.
Montes did not respond to El Paso Matters’ repeated requests for an interview or submit responses to a candidate questionnaire.
An El Paso Matters investigation found that Montes is married to a registered sex offender who faced criminal charges for his work with a local bail bonds company that was sued for kidnapping and assault.
Montes represented the company, 9ONE5 Bail Bonds, in the lawsuit and received political contributions from its owner, Fernando Serrano.
County Court at Law judges preside over criminal misdemeanor cases, including DWIs, family violence, burglaries and prostitution. Their duties include setting bonds, signing warrants, and deciding on bond forfeitures, which allow the court to seize bond money if a defendant doesn’t appear in court. If the defendant used a bonding company, the bondsman can become liable for the amount owed.
With no Republican challengers, the Democratic candidate with the most votes will effectively succeed Julie Gonzalez, who did not seek reelection after serving as a judge for about 30 years. The winner’s four-year term begins Jan. 1, 2027.
County Court at Law judges make from $157,000 to $193,400 per year, depending on their years of judicial service.
Maldonado shared excerpts from El Paso Matters’ investigation on campaign mailers, saying she felt it was important for voters to know about Montes’ history.
“I think that everything that you all mentioned in the article really speaks to her judgment and this is something that I’ve heard repeatedly from voters in the community,” Maldonado said.
Maldonado said she does not have ties to any local bonding companies and believes defendants have the right to bail, but the amount will depend on each individual case.
“I can promise that I will be fair and I will weigh all the important factors relating to a case,” she said about setting bonds.
Maldonado and Montes both own their own law firms in El Paso.
Maldonado received her attorney’s license in 2015 and works on business, criminal, family and personal injury litigation.
Montes earned her attorney’s license in 2019 and focuses on criminal, family, immigration and juvenile law, according to the State Bar of Texas website.
As a judge, Maldonado said she would hold the prosecution and the defense’s legal team to the same standards and ensure the court processes paperwork efficiently to keep cases running smoothly and avoid a backlog.
“Misdemeanor courts have a very high caseload. If these cases are not getting moved or set for regular hearings, that could result in a backlog. It’s important to make sure that people have their day in court, that they have regular hearings to know where they stand on their case and how the case is moving along,” Maldonado said.
Democratic voters will also be able to elect a judge for the 168th District Court during the runoff election.
The post Frances Maldonado faces Christina Montes in Democratic runoff for El Paso County Court at Law No. 2 appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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