An Edinburg lawyer on Wednesday announced his bid for the Democratic nomination for Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 2 in the March 2022 primary.
Andre Maldonado said in a campaign announcement that he is seeking office because he understands that for the justice system to work, people must believe in it.
“People must believe that a candidate that is running for a judicial position is qualified to render decisions that have life-impacting results on issues between parties in the community,” Maldonado said in the announcement.
One of the biggest issues the precinct is facing that he believes must be tackled is truancy.
“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, local school districts were forced to close doors to in-person learning and instead students attended class via distant learning,” he said. “However, on top of many other hardships during the pandemic that families faced, some students did not have accessible WIFI to attend distant learning and were considered absent.”
The justice of the peace hears truancy cases and Maldonado said it’s of the utmost importance that children and families in this position are treated fairly and not subjected to additional hardships and penalties.
“We must be progressive and look to our neighbors in areas such as Harris County and Bexar County who have developed programs to assist families with truancy issues,” he said. “These programs are developed not to incarcerate or subject the parents to harsh penalties, but to assist the families in getting the child/student back on the right track.”
Maldonado was born in McAllen and raised in Edinburg. He graduated from Edinburg High School in 2005 and received his bachelor’s degree in 2010 from the then University of Texas-Pan American, which is now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
After graduating, he attended South Texas College of Law. During law school he interned for Chief Justice Roy Valdez of the 13th Court of Appeals, as well as Houston lawyer Rob Ammons, where he gained insight in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death litigation.
He graduated law school in 2014 and moved back to Edinburg to open his own practice.
“I am happily married to my beautiful wife, Marla, and we have two awesome kids, Aaron and Mia,” he said.
Maldonado believes the precinct will continue to thrive as long as it stays progressive and helps the community.
“In the end, that is what a public servant is, a servant to the people in the community,” he said. “I am committed to ensuring that the Precinct 4 Place 2 Justice of the Peace Court is accessible and fair to all that walk in the courtroom, and making sure that our justice system continues to serve the best interests of people in our community.”
