Justice of the Peace Precinct 2: Democratic Primary - El Paso Matters (2024)

Haggerty

I am passionate about being a Justice of the Peace. I do not consider this a job but an opportunity to help improve the community I love, Northeast El Paso. Since 2010, my staff and I have helped thousands of students graduate from high school, helped thousands of people take care of their cases without causing hardship, and heard thousands of civil cases. I want to continue helping my Northeast El Paso community in any way I can.

Robinson

As an elected official you should make yourself available to the community you serve and have your office open to serve your constituents face-to-face. The current Justice of the Peace in Precinct 2 constantly closes the office, and when the office is open phone calls go unanswered and/or the Judge is not available to answer questions from his community members. I am running to bring trust back to the office by serving our community with transparency and getting the office involved in truly serving the community. I will make sure court hearings are held in a timely manner and both parties in my court are served professionally.

Haggerty

The accomplishments my staff and I made over the past 11 ½ years makes me the best candidate. A few accomplishments:

• My staff is highly trained and up to date with law changes resulting in the best possible service for my constituents.
• Warrants are not issued for traffic cases unless under extreme circ*mstances. People should not go to jail because they cannot afford to pay. I aim to help people resolve their cases and not cause hardship.
• I do not send any JP2 cases to collections because the 30% fee tacked onto the balance is unacceptable.

Robinson

My education, training and experience are unmatched. I will go into office expanding on more than 20 years of experience in the criminal justice field. When I am elected, the Constable’s office and the Justice of the Peace in Precinct 2 will finally be an office that works in conjunction with one another, not against each other. There is no reason why the current Justice of the Peace in Precinct 2 should have removed access to the court from the Constable’s Office. The Judge also removed the Deputy Constables from the court while conducting bailiff duties on three different occasions: a direct violation of the Texas Constitution.

Haggerty

As a Judge, I must remain unbiased and follow the laws of Texas. Ultimately, I have no control over the number of eviction filings within my precinct. However, what I can control is who is present at my eviction hearings. I have a representative from Legal Aid sit in on my eviction hearings so he/she can provide information to both the landlords and tenants on any rental assistance they may be eligible for. I feel this is especially necessary right now as we navigate living in a pandemic.

Robinson

Evictions are a serious issue every community has. I believe both parties need to be served professionally and property rights addressed on both sides (tenants and landlords). I believe if my community was educated on the process and reasons for evictions we could lower the number of evictions citywide, not just in my jurisdiction. I would provide free educational training to community members which would provide them that information.

Haggerty

I am a full-time Judge. I aim to be at my office Monday through Friday. This allows my clerks to set up court on any day of the week which results in clearing our dockets efficiently. Serving as the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 is my top priority. If I am not physically in my office I am just a phone call away and can get back to my office in a timely manner.

Robinson

First and foremost, I will hold court hearings on a regular basis. Something that is not currently practiced. I will be available to my community to answer any questions they may have. Sometimes simply answering questions, without giving legal advice can avoid a case hitting your courtroom. That is why it is important to elect a person who will truly serve their community.

Haggerty

I love serving as a Justice of the Peace. It is a privilege given to me by the residents of Northeast El Paso and as long as they continue to have faith in my abilities I will continue to serve as their Justice of the Peace. I will continue to put my name in for consideration as long as I remain productive and can help make positive changes that benefit Northeast El Paso.

Robinson

If at any time I could not serve my community to the fullest then I would do the right thing and step down. I am only 42 years old, so I have a lot of life in me to serve this beautiful Northeast Community. Placing a self-imposed term limit is not in my plans at this time.