Medina Co. Justice of the Peace arrested by TX Attorney Generalโs office, sheriff says
MEDINA COUNTY, Texas โ The Texas Attorney Generalโs Office is investigating election complaints involving Medina County Justice of the Peace Judge Tomas โTommyโ Ramirez III and several others, Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown confirmed Saturday. Brown said he was contacted by the AGโs office in case they needed help making arrests on four warrants out of Bandera County. Ramirez and two others turned themselves in to Bandera County authorities, Brown said. A fourth wanted person may be out of town, the sheriff said. Brown said he didnโt have details on the warrants but said that officials with the AGโs office said the investigation involved โelection complaints.โThis is a developing story.
San Antonio activists demand evictions end, say police should not remove people from homes
SAN ANTONIO Activists gathered at Justice of the Peace precincts around San Antonio, demanding an end to evictions and law enforcement officials role in them. San Antonio residents joined with several local organizations on Tuesday who participated in the national no eviction, no police day of action. Additionally, groups have called for justices to close courts through the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and redirect funds from law enforcement agencies to help keep people in homes. Organizers of the event say more than 1,300 residents have been evicted in the city since March.
State Rep. Roland Gutierrez introduces โPact Actโ to hold elected officials, candidates accountable
SAN ANTONIO โ State Representative Roland Gutierrez introduced the โPact Actโ on Thursday, also known as the Political Anti-Corruption and Transparency Act. Gutierrez referenced two KSAT 12 defenders investigations involving County Justice of the Peace Ciro Rodriguez, regarding Rodriguezโs short-term salary adjustment, which has now lasted more than two years. The other investigation delved into Rodriguez violating the State Code of Judicial Conduct by campaigning for his daughter, Xochil Pena Rodriguez in the State Senate race. Gutierrez said the legislation is intended to hold elected officials and candidates to a higher standard and accountable when needed. We did reach out to Pena Rodriguezโs campaign and received this response:โClearly, Roland Gutierrez will say anything, collude with anyone and even create a fake newspaper, to mislead the public โ all just to get elected.
Bexar County budget staff questioned judgeโs full-time pay in 2019, were instructed to stand down
SAN ANTONIO โ Bexar County budget employees who last year questioned why a justice of the peace continued to collect full-time pay were instructed to leave the increase in place, emails obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders show. Bexar County Budget Director Seth McCabe. This budget slide from an August 2019 Commissioners Court meeting shows a decrease in workload for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 last fiscal year. Bexar County Precinct 1. I believe it was very unprofessional,โ said one employee, who remembered members of the public watching as Judge Rodriguez raised his voice to staff members.
Judge again caught campaigning for daughter in Texas Senate race as questions emerge about her donations
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 โ a Democratic candidate for Texas Senate District 19 โ and promised not to do it again, pictures again showed Rodriguez campaigning for his daughter.
WATCH: Judge campaigns for daughter in state senate race; appears to violate state judicial code of conduct
WATCH: Judge campaigns for daughter in state senate race; appears to violate state judicial code of conductPublished: December 5, 2019, 10:41 amUndercover videos obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders show Bexar County Justice of the Peace Ciro Rodriguez campaigning for his daughter, a candidate for Texas Senate District 19, despite state laws forbidding judges from campaigning on behalf of another person.