Biography

Name:              Don W. Minton

Age:                39 (I turn 40 on Saturday, January 26)

Occupation:     District Court Judge

Website:          www.judgeminton.com

Residence        West Side

 

Relevant Experience:

I am the Judge of Criminal District Court No. 1. Prior to this, I was the Child Support Judge for El Paso, where I disposed of 32,000 cases – more than any other Texas state judge. Not one case was reversed by the Court of Appeals.

 

I am licensed in Texas and California. I handled hundreds of criminal cases in private practice, including civil forfeiture cases unique to Criminal District Court No. 1. I graduated from UT Law School and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. I served in the 3d ACR as a Tank Platoon Leader at Ft. Bliss.

 

1. What is the most important issue facing the court? This Court needs stability and leadership. Between 2005 and 2007, five different judges presided over this court, resulting in inconsistent practices and rulings. As the incumbent, I am the only candidate uniquely qualified to provide the stability and leadership the court needs over the next two years.

 

2. Is the local system of oversight sufficient to protect the public from unfair judges? If so, why, and if not, how would you change it? The ballot box is the ultimate oversight. When voters STOP voting straight party ticket and START voting for individual candidates, they will protect themselves against unfair judges.

 

3. What experience do you have with the law that will make you a good judge? I have been a judge for four years.

 

4. How do District Courts differ from County Courts? District Courts handle felonies; County Courts handle misdemeanors.

 

5. What is your position on the trend at the state level to either consolidate the county and district courts or to allow them to hear similar cases? By statute, El Paso judges can hear similar cases.

 

6. In El Paso, it seems like lawyers and judges know each other, something perhaps similar to most communities. What are some of the situations under which you think a judge ought to recuse themselves? Are the rules clear enough and if not, how would you change them? The West Point motto is Duty, Honor, Country. Citizens of El Paso have every right to expect the same of a District Court Judge.

 

TRCP 18b(2) states, “A judge shall recuse himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure has no such rule, but it should. I continue to follow the guidelines in 18b(2).

 

7. Is there fair access to justice for everyone? How would you improve access; specifically, how would you support public defenders? I was the first Child Support Judge in Texas to use public defenders. The result was a tenfold increase in representation of the indigent and a tax savings of more than $200,000 in attorney’s fees.