Judge Marlene Gonzales is Lying

Judge Marlene Gonzalez - Mayte's Momma

I already covered the arrest of Marco Camarillo, the bailiff assigned to the 388th District Court, over on another one of my platforms. Camarillo was arrested earlier this month… right there in Judge Marlene Gonzalez’s courtroom.

Talk about an awkward day at the office.

As luck would have it, I happened to be at the courthouse that morning. A little while after Camarillo was hauled away, I spotted Judge Gonzalez in the courthouse cafeteria enjoying lunch with Justice of the Peace Lucilla Najera and a handful of prominent El Paso County Democrats.

We’ll come back to that little lunch date in a minute, because the irony is thicker than a torta for the Northeast. I’m talkin’ Dyer Torta…

Photo from that lunch below.

Now, in a publication that’s been working overtime cosplaying as a legitimate news organization, it was “reported” that Judge Gonzalez issued a statement explaining the situation.

Unfortunately for her, some of those explanations don’t survive even the most basic fact-check.

Judge Gonzalez claims that Marco Camarillo doesn’t report to her and is actually assigned to an associate court.

Really?

That’s interesting… because apparently nobody told her own website.

Her official court website lists Marco Camarillo as her bailiff.

Maybe the website is confused.

Then again, her office voicemail also identifies him as her bailiff.

Maybe the voicemail is confused too.

And if you ask just about every family law attorney who’s practiced in her courtroom over the past several years, they’ll probably tell you they’ve watched him perform the duties of… you guessed it… her bailiff.

Apparently everyone got the memo except Judge Gonzalez.

She also says that the County’s Human Resources Department will determine Camarillo’s employment status while his criminal case is pending.

That’s a nice way to kick the can down the road.

Here’s the problem.

District judges are department heads.

Department heads hire.

Department heads fire.

The buck doesn’t stop in HR.

It stops at Judge Marlene Gonzalez’s desk.

Could she ask HR to handle the paperwork? Sure.

Could she decide to keep him employed while the criminal case plays out? Absolutely.

Could she terminate his employment today if she wanted to?

Also yes.

Let’s not pretend she’s some powerless bystander watching all of this unfold from the cheap seats.

She’s the judge.

This whole statement reads less like transparency and more like someone trying to put as much daylight as possible between herself and a hire that’s suddenly become politically radioactive.

And here’s the part that should make everyone raise an eyebrow.

This isn’t even the first controversial bailiff she’s hired.

Her previous bailiff was a Republican who conspired with Sammy Carrejo, the local MAGA extremist best known for targeting women in politics. Carrejo even harassed another Democratic judicial candidate during a campaign fundraiser.

Apparently, Judge Gonzalez has developed a talent for finding controversy in the applicant pool.

Now let’s circle back to that courthouse lunch.

Because this is where things go from strange to downright embarrassing.

Recently, the legal arm of the Catholic Church here in El Paso asked that Judge Marlene Gonzalez be removed from hearing cases involving unaccompanied immigrant children because of what they described as her “cruel” treatment of those children.

Read that sentence again.

One of the foundational principles of today’s Democratic Party is protecting immigrants and fighting for comprehensive immigration reform.

Yet there sits Judge Gonzalez, having lunch with some of El Paso’s most recognizable Democratic leaders.

One of them happens to chair one of the two Tejano Democratic organizations in our community.

According to the State Tejano Democrats’ own website, the organization is “dedicated to advancing the political, social, and economic interests of Hispanic and Latino communities throughout the state.”

That’s a pretty lofty mission.

Which makes it awfully difficult to explain why anyone claiming to champion Latino communities would be casually breaking bread with a judge who was challenged over her treatment of immigrant children.

Politics is full of uncomfortable optics.

This one isn’t just uncomfortable.

It’s indefensible.

If Democratic leaders are going to preach compassion, justice, and standing up for vulnerable immigrant families, then those values can’t suddenly disappear because someone at the lunch table wears a black robe.

Principles aren’t supposed to have exceptions for your friends.

And if we’re now living in an El Paso where we have to fact-check judges against their own websites and voicemail recordings, maybe it’s time we start asking tougher questions of the people entrusted with administering justice.

Because the robe doesn’t make someone above accountability.

If anything, it should demand more of it.