Ernesto Gonzalez (judge)
Ernesto Gonzalez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas | |
| Assumed office April 9, 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Philip Ray Martinez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 61–62) San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | University of Texas at San Antonio (BA) Texas Southern University (JD) |
Ernesto "Ernest" Gonzalez (born 1962)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas since 2024. He previously served with the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division from 2023 to 2024.
Education
[edit]Gonzalez received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1987 and a Juris Doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston in 1993.[2]
Career
[edit]From 1994 to 2000, Gonzalez worked as an assistant district attorney in Bexar County in San Antonio, Texas. From 2000 to 2003, he was an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas and from 2003 to 2023, he served as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas. From 2023 to 2024, Gonzalez served as a senior attorney advisor in the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section.[2]
Federal judicial service
[edit]On December 19, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Gonzalez to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. His nomination received support from Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.[3] On January 10, 2024, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Gonzalez to the seat vacated by Judge Frank Montalvo, who assumed senior status on December 1, 2022.[4] On January 24, 2024, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[5] On February 7, 2024, his nomination was withdrawn and he was renominated to the seat vacated by Judge Philip Ray Martinez, who died on February 26, 2021.[6] On February 29, 2024, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 20–1 vote.[7] On March 22, 2024, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by an 88–7 vote.[8] He received his judicial commission on April 9, 2024.[9]
Controversy
[edit]Shortly after his confirmation, a controversy developed regarding where Gonzalez would be seated within the district. Chief Judge Alia Moses wanted to move him from the Del Rio courthouse (where Moses sits) to the Austin courthouse. Moses denied a personal motive and said she wanted to Gonzalez to avoid a conflict of interest with his brother. Gonzalez's brother is a supervisor in the El Paso division of the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. An agreement was then reached with the U.S. Attorney's office and Fifth Circuit Chief Judge Priscilla Richman that Gonzalez brother would not handle cases in Del Rio once Gonzalez took the bench.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "President Biden Names Forty-Third Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Jefferson, Greg (December 19, 2023). "Biden to nominate two to federal bench based in San Antonio". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ "Nominations Press Release Attached" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 29, 2024" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Ernest Gonzalez, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas)". United States Senate. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Ernesto Gonzalez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Thomsen, Jacqueline; Autullo, Ryan (April 8, 2024). "Chief Judge Sought to Move New Appointee Out of Texas Courthouse". Retrieved September 23, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Ernesto Gonzalez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- 1962 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American lawyers
- Assistant United States Attorneys
- District attorneys in Texas
- Hispanic and Latino American judges
- Hispanic and Latino American lawyers
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
- Lawyers from San Antonio
- Thurgood Marshall School of Law alumni
- United States Department of Justice lawyers
- United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden
- University of Texas at San Antonio alumni