Commissioner questions judge’s political ties

PHARR - A city commissioner is questioning a state district judge's handling of a politically charged case, due to the judge's appearance at a campaign event hosted by a slate of candidates vying for local office.

Judge Roberto "Bobby" Flores, of the 139th state District Court, attended an event earlier this year hosted by Eduardo "Eddie" Cantu, Roberto "Bobby" Carrillo and Oscar Elizondo Jr., who are running for City Commission as the Pharr First slate.

But Flores is also in the midst of hearing a civil case in which Pharr First's opponents - a group of incumbent commissioners - are the defendants.

City Commissioner Ricardo Medina and his allies on the commission have been trying to fire Pharr City Manager Fred Sandoval for months, and Sandoval has a lawsuit before Flores alleging they have no cause to terminate him. The city manager has been spared so far, largely due to temporary restraining orders Flores' court granted him.

Medina, who is running against Cantu, said the judge's actions are inappropriate and called his objectivity into question.

"It's unethical what he's doing," Medina said, asserting Flores should not hear the case given his appearance at Pharr First's event.

But Flores said he appears at political functions often and would attend events hosted by Medina and his supporters if he were invited.

"It's good politics to go to everybody's things," the judge said.

Flores also noted he is registered to vote in McAllen, not Pharr, so he couldn't even cast a ballot in the race.

The judge appears in a photo with the three Pharr First candidates in this month's RGVmag, a McAllen-based magazine. Carrillo said the event was a Jan. 17 campaign kickoff.

The candidates invited friends and family to the event, Carrillo said, adding that Flores has been a close family friend for many years.

"He was there as moral support for me," Carrillo said.

Judges are permitted to attend political functions, said Seana Willing, executive director of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. But the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct states that a judge shouldn't engage in conduct that could "cast reasonable doubt on the judge's capacity to act impartially as a judge."

Willing said issues involving judges' support for candidates are a murky area of the law. Her agency urges judges to be mindful of public perception of their political ties, she said.

"Everything they do, because they're in a pedestal profession, is going to be scrutinized by the voters," Willing said.

Sandoval's next hearing in the lawsuit he has in Flores' court is set for Tuesday.
____

Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.