Name: Yahara Lisa Gutierrez

Age: 44

Occupation: Assistant County Attorney

Website: www.VoteGutierrez.com

Residence (East Side, West Side, Northeast, Central, Lower Valley, County):

Relevant Experience (for print, will be edited 100 words max):

1. What is the most important issue facing the court? The most important issue facing the 65th District Court is decreasing the backlog of cases and increasing accessibility. It shouldn’t take years for a divorce or custody matter to be resolved. We need to make the 65th District court work for the people and not the other way around.

2. How do District Courts differ from County Courts? District Courts have jurisdiction over family law, felony criminal as well as civil law. County Courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal cases and civil cases.

3. 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? It is not sufficient to protect the public. There is no system in place that holds a judge accountable for his or her actions. Judges are only accountable to the voters and they rarely know enough about a judge's work ethic or job performance. The only way to change it would be to establish a system wherein the public would be apprised of a judge's job performance even when that particular judge is unopposed.

4. What experience do you have with the law that will make you a good judge? I’ve prosecuted juvenile cases for over 6 years for the County Attorneys Office and prior to that I represented victims of family violence for 2 years. I also have several years of private practice experience dealing with divorces and other civil matters. Since the 65th District Court deals primarily with juvenile justice and family matters I have the right background and training to make this court effective and accountable.

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? It would be a good idea to consolidate the courts. There are some courts that are extremely overburdened and some that have a more lax docket. It would benefit the community for any court to be able to hear all types of cases. I believe in this manner our court system would run more efficiently.

6. In El Paso, it seems like lawyers and judges know each other, either as friends or as political opponents, something perhaps similar to most communities. What are some of the situations under which you think a judge ought to recuse himself/herself? Are the rules clear enough and if not, how would you change them? The rules are clear, and it’s up to each individual judge to follow them they way they best see fit. Once elected, I would never show any favoritism to a particular attorney under any circumstances and would recuse myself should even the possibility of favoritism arise.

7. Is there fair access to justice for everyone? How would you improve access; specifically, how would you support public defenders? I can only speak for my court – once elected everyone will have fair access. I would never show favoritism and would expect the voters to hold me accountable. The 65th District Court needs to increase its current level of accountability and transparency and allow all citizens access to justice. I would start by removing the physical barriers and obstacles currently in place that prevent fair an equal access to the 65th District Court.