Saldana, Hernandez are top picks for judgeships WATT does the Caller base their ETHICS on? RACISM & OPPRESSION? WATT$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Saldana, Hernandez are top picks for judgeships
With Rose Vela and Jack Hunter moving on, primary voters will choose candidates for the 148th and 94th District Courts.
February 13, 2006
Surprise decisions by 148th District Judge Rose Vela, who opted to run for the 13th Court of Appeals, and Jack Hunter of the 94th District Court, who chose to retire, scrambled the omelet for this election. Voters in the March 7 Democratic primary must choose between four candidates for the two district judgeships.
The Caller-Times Editorial Board, after interviewing the candidates, believes that Marisela Saldana, judge of County Court-at-Law 3, is ready to move into the 148th District Court judgeship.


Over time, this court has seen a succession of judges - from the late Margarito Garza to Hilda Tagle, appointed to a U.S. District Court in Brownsville, to Rose Vela, elected in 1998.
Saldana is completing her third term as a county court-at-law judge. Except for capital murder cases, the types of cases a judge hears in the county courts-at-law are on a par with those in district courts. Saldana's life experiences have no doubt served her well on the bench. She grew up in poverty and worked her way through law school.
On the bench, she's known for having an approachable, no-nonsense manner. There has been criticism from some members of the bar that she could have done a better job of managing her docket.
If that has been a problem, Saldana will need to improve in the 148th District Court. But clearly, her experience should make her the favorite in the contest against attorney Fred Jimenez. The winner of the Democratic Primary will face a Republican challenger, attorney Guy Williams.
In the 94th District race, the Editorial Board believes Angelica Hernandez's experience as an attorney with the law firm of Paul Kratzig & Associates gives her the edge in a contest with attorney Bobby Galvan, of one of Corpus Christi's most famous Hispanic families. The Democratic primary winner will face Republican challenger James Sales, an assistant district attorney.
Hernandez said she decided to run for the 94th District Court seat even before Hunter, a five-term district judge, decided to retire. She was concerned about the court's case backlog. She said the 94th has a backlog of more than 500 civil and criminal cases.
"Asking to be elected to the 94th will mean a lot of hard work to get that court's docket where it should be," Hernandez said. She thinks that with hard work and efficient court management, the backlog can be reduced. She vows that if elected she will not be indulgent with attorneys seeking unnecessary continuances.
How any attorney will perform as a judge is unknowable until she or he sits on the bench. But legal experience and personal qualities provide a good indicator.
The Caller-Times Editorial Board believes Angelica Hernandez has the qualities needed to be an effective bench manager and impartial judge for the 94th District Court.
(Tomorrow: County Courts-at-Law 3 and 4)