El Paso - - Three local judges are under criminal indictment by the state of Texas. They are: Manuel Barraza, Regina Arditti, and Sissy Hernandez. All three are facing charges of nepotism.
Judges Barraza and Arditti are accused of conspiring to hire each other's relatives for well-paying jobs. The third judge, Sissy Hernandez, allegedly hired one of her own family members.
Judge Manuel Barraza is already suspended on separate charges relating to accusations he solicited bribes in exchange for sexual favors. Court documents claim he is now accused of hiring Judge Arditti's son as a bailiff. In return, she allegedly hired his sister as a court coordinator. Both of their relatives were hired for positions that re paid for with taxpayer money, breaking nepotism laws.
The third judge, Justice of the Peace Sissy Hernandez, is accused of hiring her own granddaughter as an office specialist. That also breaks state nepotism laws.
All the charges against the judges are Class C misdemeanors punishable by a $1,000 fine. But the bigger issue is what it could mean for their careers.
If you are reading the judge's names for the first time, you may be wondering, just who are those people on the bench? Armando Durazo with the El Paso Times has the answer:
Manuel Barraza, 54, was elected in November. But three months after he was sworn in as judge in January, he was arrested by FBI agents after his indictment on three counts of wire fraud and one count of lying to federal agents. Federal prosecutors allege that he sought money and sexual favors as bribes, including one from a female undercover FBI agent. His trial in federal court is scheduled to begin Jan. 19. Officials from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended Barraza as judge immediately after his arrest. Barraza first gained notoriety as a young lawyer when he was hired to defend serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as the Night Stalker, who terrorized California residents three decades ago.
Regina Arditti, 52, was also elected in November. Before her election, Arditti was a lawyer in private practice and a former municipal court judge. She was presiding judge of the El Paso Municipal Courts until January 2008. Her past experience includes positions as an assistant district attorney, assistant county attorney, assistant city attorney, assistant city prosecutor and a lawyer for the Department of Defense. She has also taught at UTEP and El Paso Community College.
Sissy Hernandez, 56, was appointed Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 in 2005 after the previous judge resigned for health reasons. Hernandez had been the constable for the Precinct 2 for 20 years. Justices of the peace are not required to be lawyers. They preside over a variety of cases, including small claims, arrest and search warrants, and truancies. In April 2008, Hernandez was named Judge of the Year by the West Texas Justices of the Peace and Constables Association.
Shauna Willing, the Executive Director of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, says nepotism charges are something the judges cannot ignore.
"They are very serious. Under chapter 573 of the texas government code (these charges) are listed as official misconduct which, upon conviction, carries a penalty of automatic removal from the bench."
Willing says even before a conviction, the judicial commission can remove each of the judges from the bench while the investigations take place.
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