Palacios sworn in as Hidalgo County DA; said he will address jail overcrowding

EDINBURG — Family, friends and supporters packed into Memorial Event Center here trying to find a seat at one of the dozens of tables, or a spot with a decent view of the stage.

Toribio “Terry” Palacios stood just left of the stage as his former law partner, Richard Garcia of the Law Offices of Garcia, Quintanilla & Palacios, introduced a long list of local dignitaries in attendance.

He took a moment to recognize outgoing District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez Jr., who received a standing ovation from the crowd before taking time to talk about his longtime friend and uncle.

Former District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez acknowledges the crowd during his uncle Toribio “Terry” Palacios’ swearing-in ceremony at Memorial Event Center on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023 in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

“The man of the hour is Toribio Palacios, who we all know as Terry,” Garcia said. “Who is Terry? Who, with that name, has the audacity to strike fear in the hearts of those who would wreak havoc in our community, those who would disrupt the peace of polite society, and those whose duty, and him whose duty it is to manage justice in our great county as the top cop?”

“This is a county that is so often on the lips of our fellow Texans, and the subject of intense scrutiny by our national media,” he continued. “Let me tell you who is now at the reins of Hidalgo County.”

After his remarks, Garcia handed the mic to Palacia’s daughter, Judge Audra Palacios, who administered the oath of office to the new district attorney.

“I’m very honored that Hidalgo County voters put their trust in the Hidalgo County office to me,” Palacios said after the ceremony. “I won’t disappoint them. I’m very honored and humbled by that.”

Palacios shed light on a number of issues that he said he’d like to focus on immediately — particularly the overcrowding of Hidalgo County jails.

Toribio “Terry” Palacios gets sworn in by his daughter, municipal judge Audra Palacios Cruz at Memorial Event Center on Monday, Jan. 2, 2023 in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

“I think we have a huge backlog,” Palacios said. “We’re trying to deal with jail overcrowding. We’re trying to deal with the backlog that we have in our courts. We’re just trying to be more efficient and more effective — working this as a law firm all together, not just as individuals and individual courts. We have to work together as a community for that purpose, for that goal.”

Palacios defeated Juan Tijerina, a defense attorney, by nearly 30,000 votes in the Nov. 8 election — receiving 61.3% of the vote with 70,864 people casting ballots in his favor, while Tijerina received 38.7% with 44,730 votes.

He will now take the reins from his nephew, Rodriguez, who served as Hidalgo County District Attorney for two terms, or eight years.

“I think it just hit me that I’m not in office anymore,” Rodriguez said. “If I go back and I think about everything that I’ve done in my lifetime as a public servant, all I can say is that I’m proud of what I’ve done in the sense of complying with my duties and responsibilities in the different positions that I’ve had, especially as a district attorney. Our mindset was always to do justice.”

Rodriguez said that he is looking forward to working with his son, Ricardo Rodriguez III, who is also an attorney. He said that he has high hopes for the new district attorney, and hopes that he is able to be more successful in that role for the betterment of the citizens of Hidalgo County.

“I think that Terry is going to do great,” Rodriguez said. “I think he’s going to treat everyone with dignity and respect, across the board, in the sense of bringing justice to the citizens of Hidalgo County.”


To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Delcia Lopez’s full photo gallery here:

Photo Gallery: Palacios sworn in as Hidalgo County DA