Description:

Under general supervision and in the absence or unavailability of the Presiding Municipal Court Judge, the Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge presides over the City of McAllen Municipal Court sessions and serves as a magistrate to administer justice in the disposition of the cases involving ordinances or statutory misdemeanor violations within the jurisdiction of the court. The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge serves as the deputy judge and back-up administrator to the Presiding Municipal Court Judge. The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge reports to the Presiding Municipal Court Judge. This is a full-time position.

Job Responsibilities:

The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge is on duty 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, and acts as a magistrate to conduct arraignments on Class A, B, and C misdemeanors and all felonies when needed. As a magistrate, the Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will review and execute warrants and conduct juvenile magistrations when needed (including but not limited to arrest warrants, search warrants, administrative search warrants, phone search warrants and blood search warrants). This position will require the Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge to be on-call on nights and weekends scheduled by the Presiding Judge. The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will occasionally work nights, weekends, and holidays as scheduled by the Presiding Judge.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will serve as the deputy associate judge to the Presiding Municipal Court Judge and will serve as the administrator in charge when the Presiding Municipal Court Judge is unavailable.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will consider and rule on motion to reduce bond and motions to dismiss charges from the Criminal District Attorney's Office and private and public attorneys. The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge also has the authority to monitor compliance with bond conditions until cases are filed or dismissed and the authority to modify, raise, or revoke those bonds for non-compliance. The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge may also be required to conduct examining trials, no bond hearings, and 18.16 right to possession hearings.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge conducts jail hearings as needed. The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will also conduct hearings, bench trials, and jury trials on a variety of Class C misdemeanors and quasi-civil hearings throughout the day on dockets that may reach 100+ cases in total.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will be the custodian of record for any electronic recordings created while they are presiding.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge will issue written orders and execute judgments as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Minimum Requirements:

Job requires graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree.
Job requires that the applicant have been licensed in good standing to practice law from the State Bar of Texas for a minimum of (5) five years and a minimum of (5) five years of experience as a municipal court judge, prosecutor, or related experience in the State of Texas.
Job requires a valid Texas Class C Driver's License.
Must be able to communicate with tact and diplomacy.
Must be ever mindful of the limits of his/her jurisdiction, the law, and exercise sound judgment.
Must be able to meet deadlines. Failure to meet deadlines could affect external operations.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge must be able to constructively handle frequent and irregular interruptions of activity. The position requires quick, independent judgment to meet unexpected and serious developments. These decisions may affect more than one city department.
The Chief Associate Municipal Court Judge must be able to maintain confidentiality. Inappropriate disclosure of information could have serious effect upon the internal or external relationships of the organization in relation to agencies, the community, or the State into the future.