JUDGE

Bexar County Criminal District Court judges have appointed attorney Miguel Najera to fill a newly created associate judge position, according to county officials.

Aaron Judge connected off Max Scherzer for his major league-leading 47th home run, Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs and the New York Yankees withstood a botched popup by rookie Oswaldo Cabrera to beat the Mets 4-2 for their first Subway Series win this season.

Those who have been to Disney World know it’s the “happiest place on earth,” but what if the giant amusement park called Texas home?

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and general manager Brian Cashman had no update on a contract extension for the slugger with a potential deadline looming later this week.

Caught in lockout limbo, Yankees star Aaron Judge, Red Sox ace Chris Sale, Braves slugger Adam Duvall and other players are doing their best to stay loose.

SAN ANTONIO – As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches one year, the resulting backlog of cases in the Bexar County Criminal Justice System continues to grow since an emergency order from the Texas Supreme Court prohibits in-person jury trials. One option available to both the state and the defense to resolve cases is a bench trial in which a judge serves as both the judge and jury. “I think most judges would prefer to have bench trials during this pandemic.”J. Charles Bunk, a seasoned criminal defense attorney who has also served as a prosecutor for over a dozen years, has been involved in bench trials on both the defense and prosecution. An agreement from the state and the defense is necessary for a bench trial to be conducted. RELATED: In-person jury trials in Bexar County delayed until at least April 1

SAN ANTONIO – When she was elected to the 289th Juvenile District Court bench last November, Jackie Valdes said the new position allows her to continue her mission as a juvenile prosecutor. “It was always from the perspective of what is in the best interest of this child to rehabilitate,” Valdes said Monday. Valdes said her mother, Senior District Judge Maria Teresa “Tessa” Herr, encouraged her to seek election. “I felt like the citizens of Bexar County should have a judge who was invested and knowledgeable and cares enough to show up,” Valdes said. “It just amazes me that she ends up as a judge in a juvenile court where she still can do what she loves and that is to help kids.”Related: State district court judge conducts inspection of juvenile facilities in Bexar County

SAN ANTONIO – On Thursday, 399th District Court Judge Frank Castro issued an order noting that deputy district clerks assigned to district courts serve at the pleasure of the judges. The order concluded by threatening to hold Bexar County District Clerk Mary Angie Garcia in contempt of court is she did not replace two clerks assigned to his court by Monday. Castro had requested the transfer earlier, according to Garcia. We would do what we had to do,” Garcia said. “We’re just trying to make it a smooth operational office,” Garcia said.

HOUSTON (AP) – A federal judge on Monday rejected another last-ditch Republican effort to invalidate nearly 127,000 votes in Houston because the ballots were cast at drive-thru polling centers established during the pandemic. The lawsuit was brought by conservative Texas activists who have railed against expanded voting access in Harris County, where a record 1.4 million early votes have already been cast. Another 20,000 or more voters were expected to use drive-thru polling locations Tuesday, said Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, the county’s top elections official. Harris County offered 10 drive-thru locations as an option for its nearly 5 million residents amid worries of spreading the coronavirus. The Texas Supreme Court, which is controlled entirely by Republicans, rejected an identical lawsuit last month and on Sunday refused to invalidate the votes already cast.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) is brought down by Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller (23) during the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – A major knee injury has ended Saquon Barkley's season. The Giants (0-2) said earlier in the day an MRI in a New York City hospital confirmed Barkley had torn his ACL, meaning he would not play again in 2020. The former Penn State star also was criticized by former Giants running back Tiki Barber for his pass-blocking skills. “I know from working out with him over the summer he was looking forward to this season after the ankle injuries last season,” Peppers said.

NEW YORK Prosecutors on Sunday asked a judge to schedule a Friday court appearance in New York for Jeffrey Epsteins associate to face charges she helped him recruit women to sexually abuse. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 58, was arrested Thursday at a Bradford, New Hampshire, $1 million estate. She has been detained without bail after agreeing to be moved to New York. Maxwell has been charged with conspiring to entice girls as young as 14 to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein from 1994 through 1997. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail last August while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

SAN ANTONIO Last summer Stephen Vargas, 20, failed to appear in court to be sentenced to eight years in prison as part of a plea agreement after pleading guilty to two separate armed robbery cases in 2017 and 2018. On Tuesday, defense attorney Roy Barrera Jr. asked Judge Jefferson Moore to abandon a 10-year sentence Moore added after Vargas failed to appear for sentencing. I sentence you in each case to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Moore said. Vargas total sentence, with the time added for his failure to appear, was 18 years. Man sentenced to 8 years in prison in 2018 Bar America shooting

Civil district courts in Bexar County prepare to reopen after months-long closurePublished: June 10, 2020, 6:14 pmThe mid-March closure of the Bexar County Courts complex amid the coronavirus pandemic had a devastating effect on the local justice system, according to District Court Judge Peter Sakai.

SAN ANTONIO – Judge Gloria Saldana’s County Court 9 courtroom is normally packed on a Monday morning. “I’m restructuring my docket so that I don’t have more than 15 people in court at any one time," Saldana said. “I want to make my courtroom safe in light of everything that is going on,” Saldana said. “I was a Girl Scout, and I live to be prepared.”Misdemeanor Administrative Court Judge John Longoria validated what Saldana has done. “Our jury room gets about 500 or 600 people a day, and that could spread like wildfire it if gets here,” Longoria said Monday.

SAN ANTONIO – Manslaughter charges against a 22-year-old man, who was previously suspected of being involved in a deadly shooting at a Southeast Side apartment complex, were dismissed after a judge ruled there was a lack of probable cause in the case, according to Bexar County records. Witnesses told investigators they saw Jose Maria Galindo run from a bedroom at the Pecan Valley Apartments after hearing a gunshot on Jan. 22. Investigators arrested Galindo in La Salle County soon after, but because a judge did not find enough reasonable grounds for the manslaughter charge, the case was dismissed. Galindo is still in the Bexar County Jail on a charge of assault of a public servant, according to records. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says the bond in the assault case was increased to $15,000.

Judge again caught campaigning for daughter in Texas Senate race as questions emerge about her donationsPublished: February 12, 2020, 11:17 pmWeeks after Bexar County Justice of the Peace Ciro Rodriguez apologized for campaigning for his daughter — a Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 19 — and promised not to do it again, pictures again showed Rodriguez campaigning for his daughter.