A Starr County justice of the peace received a public reprimand Friday from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for using his public office to help his wife’s political campaign and violating other government codes.
The public reprimand and order of education was filed by the commission Oct. 29 against Starr County Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Jesus Maria “Chuy” Alvarez, according to a copy of the order released Friday.
Complaints sent to the commission focused on two issues, including Alvarez’s wife’s campaign and a conflation of his judicial and private business.
The commission believes Alvarez helped his wife, Iselda “Tinita” Alvarez, during her 2020 campaign to run for Precinct 1 Starr County Commissioner.
Particularly, the commission found that the justice of the peace “produced and erected signs advertising her campaign, discussed her candidacy with others at campaign events and elsewhere, and maintained a Facebook page on which materials supporting his wife’s campaign appeared,” according to the order.
The commission also found Alvarez acted in ways that blurred the line between his work as a public servant and a private attorney.
Alvarez used signs that advertised his services as a judge and as a private attorney, including business cards that had his judicial information on one side and his private office information on the other.
In November 2019, Alvarez represented Casey Rosas and filed a motion to lift capias and reinstate her original bond, but they also found he performed Rosas’ magistration in his judicial capacity.
Alvarez told the commission he would change his practices, including in marketing and advertising. He will no longer distribute two-sided business cards and instead choose to issue separate business cards for his judicial and private offices.
“The judge also represented to the Commission that he has taken actions to ensure he does not act as a lawyer for defendants who have appeared before him in his judicial capacity and is in the process of implementing a more robust system for checking conflicts of interest in such circumstances,” the order stated.
Through this actions, the commission found the judge failed to uphold three standards: a judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others; a judge shall not authorize the public use of his or her name endorsing another candidate for any public office; and that a justice of the peace cannot act as a lawyer in a proceeding in which he or she served as a judge or any proceeding relating thereto.
The commission ordered the judge to take additional education, specifically two hours of instruction with a mentor focusing “in the areas of campaign ethics, conflicts of interest, and performing magistration,” according to the order. He will have 60 days after a mentor is assigned to comply with the order.
