Democrats have had a lock on Bexar County’s judgeships since 2022, but they’re suddenly bleeding talent due to alleged behavioral issues and primary losses.
Facing potential disciplinary action from the state, last week Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez resigned from her County Court at Law No. 13 bench.
The move spares Speedlin Gonzalez from other disciplinary actions that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct might have issued as a result of her having a defense attorney handcuffed in her courtroom in 2024.
But it leaves Bexar County with another judicial post in limbo, after several incumbents were already swept out in the primary.
County Court at Law No. 14, currently run by Judge Carlo Key, now has a Democratic nominee facing trial next month over allegations that she doesn’t meet the eligibility requirements because she doesn’t live in Bexar County.
Attorney Audrey Martinez defeated Key for the Democratic nomination, but Democratic precinct chairs would have to choose an alternative nominee if she’s deemed ineligible.
Martinez declined to comment on the issue, saying that a judge asked her not to speak to the media about her case.
Democrats control every countywide judgeship with the exception of one criminal district court, which has a Republican judge appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to fill a vacancy mid-cycle.
Since Speedlin Gonzalez is leaving a county court, it would be up to the Bexar County Commissioners Court— which is dominated by Democrats — to appoint a replacement.
She was already suspended from working in early February, and then lost her primary to immigration attorney Alicia Perez, who doesn’t face a Republican opponent.
County Commissioners just addressed a similar issue last week, appointing the uncontested Democratic nominee to fill a Justice of the Peace position left open by an incumbent who died.
County Spokeswoman Monica Ramos said Tuesday that there hasn’t yet been any discussion about filling this more recent post.
As part of Speedlin Gonzalez’ agreement with the state commission, she is “forever disqualified” from judicial service in the state of Texas. She declined to comment Tuesday on whether she would consider running for another type of elected office.
An opening for a comeback?
As for the other county court, Key is now one of five incumbent judges serving out his term after losing in the primary.
Some of them were quite popular within the party, and lamented the experience lost by surprising primary outcomes, which swept out the last of the county’s Black judges.
But the residency issues in County Court at Law 14 could create an opening for Democratic leaders to bring someone back, or promote new talent.
Key hired a private investigator to secure footage of Martinez coming and going from a home she owns in Wilson County, and then sued the local Democratic Party chair and Elections Administrator to try to keep her from appearing on the primary ballot.
But he said the legal process didn’t move fast enough, in part because they needed to bring in a judge from another county.
“If I do end up prevailing in court, then it’ll go to the executive committee of the Democratic Party, and they can essentially put whoever they want on that ballot for November,” Key said. “It could be me, it could be someone else. My understanding is there’s already several people lobbying to get placed on that ballot.”
At least one of the Democrats who lost in the primary, criminal district court Judge Michael Mery, is angling for the nomination, according to two local Democrats.
Meanwhile Republicans won’t have that option, because they didn’t field a candidate for the position in the first place.
The Bexar County Republican Party put some effort into recruiting judicial candidates this year after failing to field a single nominee for countywide courts in 2024.
But the nominees they found are running for different openings, where they will face uphill races in November.
