San Antonio’s municipal court judges will soon face reappointment as their current two-year terms expire on April 30, setting in motion a process that most residents never see but one that shapes how hundreds of thousands of low-level cases are handled each year.
Unlike district or county judges, municipal court judges are not elected.
Instead, they’re appointed by City Council following a review and recommendation process led by the Municipal Court Advisory Committee — a four-member committee made up of council members that acts as a liaison between the municipal court and City Council.
On Wednesday, the committee received a detailed briefing on court performance and the judicial appointment process — a discussion that comes as council members prepare to interview applicants for the city’s 10 full-time and 12 part-time municipal judge positions.
The court currently has 25 applicants, 14 for full-time roles and 11 for part-time positions. Applicants include some judges currently sitting on municipal court, according to Assistant City Attorney Jose Niño. While the application closed earlier this month, the committee recommended extending the application window by two weeks to expand the candidate pool.
How municipal judges are appointed
Under city policy, the Municipal Court Advisory Committee reviews applications, conducts interviews — typically in executive session — and recommends a slate of candidates to the full City Council. Council then votes on appointments in an open meeting.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, Texas residents and licensed attorneys in good standing. They must have practiced law in Texas for at least two years and lived in San Antonio for at least three years prior to appointment.
Judges serve two-year terms beginning May 1 of even-numbered years. Salaries are set by ordinance at the time of appointment and cannot be reduced during a judge’s term. Part-time judges receive an hourly rate.
Selected candidates are required to complete 16 hours of judicial education annually and are subject to oversight under the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Committee Chair Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) said he requested Wednesday’s briefing to help shape the upcoming applicant review and appointment process.
“We’re going to be considering judges for appointment and reappointment fairly soon and I would like our recommendations to be rooted in data,” he said. “Here we have data, roughly by docket, that can inform some of the questions we ask and priorities that we convey to applicants.”
What municipal court judges do
A municipal court is often the public’s first point of contact with the justice system.
Municipal judges preside over Class C misdemeanor cases — from traffic tickets to animal and city code violations — and can impose fines, order compliance measures or issue warrants when defendants fail to appear.
On Wednesday, Frederick P. Garcia Jr., the municipal court clerk, presented data from May 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2025.
“We thought it would be appropriate to give you the data during the current judicial term when the full-time judges are performing their judicial duties,” Garcia said. “It’s at a macro level, holistic, high-level look at the data.”
During that period, the court collected approximately $34.4 million in fines, court costs and related fees tied to criminal and civil cases.
The court handled 369,694 filings during the recording period. The vast majority — 199,249 — were traffic-related criminal cases. Another 44,545 were non-traffic criminal cases.
Of those non-traffic criminal cases, 12,352 were animal-related offenses, including animals running at large, failure to vaccinate and animal bite cases. Another 737 non-traffic criminal cases involved city code violations, 1,872 involved family violence assault cases and 29,584 were categorized as “other.”
On the civil side, the court handled 14,397 code cases and 111,503 parking cases.
Judges recorded 91,979 convictions that resulted in payments and 52,654 convictions involving non-cash resolutions, such as community service or time-served credits.
Dismissals totaled more than 113,000 cases across several categories.
Dismissal categories are often tied to statutory requirements, including cases where defendants completed a driver safety course, deferred disposition — which allows judges to suspend a finding of guilt while a defendant completes court-ordered conditions— or correcting compliance-related violations.
Prosecutors can also recommend dismissal, which Garcia said can occur for several reasons, including missing witnesses, plea agreements or stale cases that are years old, where fines are unlikely to be paid.
Officials emphasized that many dismissals are structured tools aimed at compliance and behavior change, rather than blanket leniency.
Municipal judges also serve as magistrates 24 hours a day, issuing warrants and conducting probable cause hearings for more serious offenses.
Magistrates also issue blood draw warrants for driving under the influence cases where the suspect refuses a breathalyzer test. They also issue emergency protective orders and mental health orders — involuntary commitments for individuals who may pose a harm to themselves or others due to their mental state.
Beyond the courtroom
Municipal court Presiding Judge Carla Obledo said the court’s work also includes year-round public awareness campaigns focused on prevention.
Monthly initiatives range from teen driving awareness in January and warrant resolution efforts in February to distracted driving, bicycle safety and domestic violence awareness campaigns throughout the year. Each November, the court hosts Municipal Courts Week, inviting students to learn about courtroom operations and explore careers in the legal field.
Last year’s warrant resolution campaign helped resolve approximately 14,000 outstanding warrants. The court recently launched this year’s effort, encouraging residents with pending citations to appear voluntarily without fear of immediate arrest.
“Our judges and staff consistently rise to the challenge of trying new and innovative approaches to improving public safety, promoting school attendance, educating our community, and supporting safe and clean neighborhoods,” Obledo said. ”We remain committed to proactive outreach, education, and community partnership. We are not just in enforcing the law but helping prevent violations before they occur.”
