A Judge Like Us
I came to the U.S. when I was 13. In the 1980’s my father and I fled the civil war in El Salvador. We moved frequently as he took whatever work he could find, and I was an undocumented immigrant for 4 years. But coming to the U.S. meant that I had the opportunity to get an education and eventually become part of a community where I could give back.
I’ve been defending the indigent for 23 years as an attorney. As your Judge of the 460th District Court, I strive to ensure every person in my court has complete access to the system’s resources & full exercise of their rights. We recognize that exploring alternatives to the traditional model of retributive justice is crucial to reversing structural inequities in our criminal justice system. I’m actively involved in ongoing community conversations on expansion of diversionary programs for individuals confronting substance abuse & mental health issues, and I’ve entered my third year of service as a Board Member of the Travis County Sobering Center. In my court, We work to prioritize cases where the defendant has already been in pretrial detention for extended periods, because no one should be denied their freedom indefinitely, much less before they’ve been convicted. If re-elected, I will continue to represent & reflect progressive values in the pursuit of justice, each & every day.
WATCH: Activists, advocates, leaders, and members of the community are rallying behind this campaign and the movement for a criminal justice system that works for all of us.
Our Values on the Bench
Focus On Outcomes
Carefully examine each case, truly listen to everyone impacted, and work to find the best outcome. Sometimes that means sending dangerous offenders to prison, but more often than not it means providing safe spaces for victims to heal and seek justice, providing offenders an opportunity to address the roots of the issues that lead them to commit crimes, and keeping our community safe long term by breaking the cycles of poverty, abuse, violence, and crime.
Diversion & Support
Strengthen diversion and support programs that solve the causes of crime, not just treat the symptoms. Counseling, mental health and addiction treatment, housing, and restorative justice programs are opportunities which should be available to all who need them, regardless of their ability to pay.
Prioritize Dangerous Offenders
When the courts are bogged down with victimless and nonviolent crimes, our community is less safe. Victims get discouraged from seeking justice when their cases never seem to move forward, defendants sit in jail for prolonged periods of time waiting to be heard, and it takes longer for the courts to do what they need to do to ensure justice is served.
Equality
Treat every individual as a human being. End the use of cash bail and measure the disparities within the justice system based on race, wealth, identity, and other factors to make sure that justice is applied fairly to everyone. Such inequalities make our community less safe by destabilizing families, encouraging recidivism or repeat offenses, and discouraging victims from seeking justice.
The Right To An Attorney
Ensure that every individual receives quality legal representation - I support the newly created Travis County Public Defenders Office and want to see the county make all necessary investments in indigence defense - Attorneys should be involved earlier in the process so that defendants don’t accept plea bargains or have their bail amount set before they even get to talk to a lawyer.
Community Safety
When violent crimes are committed, our entire community is impacted, and sometimes the criminal justice system makes the situation worse by destabilizing families or trapping people into a cycle of crime instead of confronting the root problems. Financial, housing, and family issues can often encourage crime and recidivism. We can address immediate dangers to our safety, while also making sure that every step of the criminal justice system works together to identify the causes of violence, provide safe spaces for victims to escape their abusers and heal, and rehabilitate offenders.