San Antonio Express News Judicial Questionnaire/2012

Transcription

1 San Antonio Express News Judicial Questionnaire/2012 The San Antonio Express News Editorial Board is asking all judicial candidates to complete and return this questionnaire as part of our 2012 primary election endorsement process. If time and resources allow, we may post the completed questionnaires on mysanantonio.com as a service to voters. Regardless, we will use them to help us determine which candidates to endorse for election this year. We hope having these questions answered in advance will make our meetings with candidates more productive. Many of these questions were modeled after those on the Governor s Office application for judicial appointments. Please e mail the completed questionnaires to me at bdavidson@express news.net by Feb. 3, If you have any questions e mail or call me at Bruce Davidson Editorial Page Editor San Antonio Express News Name: Ray J. Olivarri Date of birth: June 29, 1955 Do you live in Bexar County? Yes Position you are seeking: Judge 399 th Judicial District Court Describe your legal education: Doctorate of Jurisprudence, Texas Southern; National Drug Court Institute Training; Certified National Drug Court Practitioner; The National Judicial College Certification in

2 the Fourth Amendment; Comprehensive Search and Seizure Training for Trial Judges; Driving While Intoxicated judicial training and education Describe your civic activities and community involvement: I am a member of the following civic organizations: San Antonio Bar Association, Texas State Bar College, The Mexican American Bar Association, The National Drug Court Institute, Martin Luther King Scholarship Committee, former Board Member of Mission ACTS, City of San Antonio Zoning Commission, and Certificate of Appreciation for Annual School Safety Patrol. Please list noteworthy professional or personal accomplishments: Bexar County Courts in School Program, The Library Program, appointed to the United States Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods, Mock Trial Judge, guest speaker at Career Days at local area schools, Crime Stoppers Appreciation Award for outstanding contribution and partnership, presided over Family Drug Court Dockets, high approval ratings on local judicial performance polls, Wills Clinic volunteer for the Bexar County Women s Bar, Elder Clinic volunteer, voted Vice Chairman of the City of San Antonio Zoning Commission. In addition, I implemented the first Veteran s Court in Bexar County to provide veterans with the tools needed to lead a productive law abiding life. Please list the federal or state courts where you are admitted to practice: I am licensed to practice in both Texas State Courts and Federal Courts in the Western District. Describe your professional career and list the types of law you practice or have practiced in the past. Where are you employed currently? Is your legal practice a full time job? If you are currently a judge, what type of cases do you typically preside over in your court? My professional career began as a juvenile worker with the City of San Antonio. I worked as a Bexar County Adult Probation Officer for many years, supervising misdemeanor and felony offenders. Since being licensed by the Supreme Court of Texas, my law practice primarily consisted of criminal and family law. I am also a Certified Drug Court Attorney for misdemeanor and felony cases. I served as the presiding judge of Bexar County Court at Law No. 6 and I was selected to be the first presiding judge of Bexar County s first Veterans Treatment Court.

3 Are you certified as a specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in any area of the law? No How many times did you take the Texas bar exam? Have you ever failed bar exams in any state? I ve taken the Texas bar exam twice. I have not taken a bar exam in any other state. How many cases have you tried to verdict? Over 100 cases tried to verdict Have you ever been investigated by a State Bar grievance committee or by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct? Have you ever been disciplined or reprimanded for your conduct as a lawyer or judge? If the answer is yes, please describe? No, I have never been investigated by the State Bar grievance committee or by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. I have never been disciplined or reprimanded for conduct as a lawyer or judge. Have you ever been sued by a client? If so, please explain. Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime other than minor traffic violations? If the answer is yes, please explain. No, I have never been sued by a client. No, I have never been arrested or convicted of a crime. Please discuss your view of proper judicial temperament. A judge should be professional and respectful to all who appear before the bench, follow the law, and rule fairly and impartially. If you are seeking election or re election to a criminal court, discuss your view of plea bargains and when they should and should not be accepted. A plea bargain should be accepted only when it is reasonable and in accordance to what a jury would recommend. A plea bargain should not be accepted when it s not in

4 accordance with the law, when someone is being forced or coerced to plea, or lacks understanding of the agreement. A plea bargain is an important component of our court system to dispose of cases in a timely manner; without which, it would take years to dispose of a case due to the large number of pending cases in Bexar County. Tell us about any plans you have to improve the administration of the court or make it more efficient. Prior Bexar County Management Report reflected that I ran an efficient court at a minimum cost to the taxpayers. My plans are to work with staff to dispose of cases in a timely and efficient manner. I also plan to network with local agencies to implement programs that reduce recidivism of offenders in our community. Have you or your spouse ever filed for bankruptcy or has a tax lien ever been placed on you or your spouse? No Why are you seeking this office? I am a lifelong resident of Bexar County (7 th generation). The safety of the citizens of Bexar County and the betterment of our community are paramount to me. My years of experience as a public servant have served me well as evidenced by the statistics based on the Bexar County Judicial Management Reports. The reports reflect that in my first term in office as judge of Bexar County Court at Law No. 6, I disposed of more than 16,000 cases. I had the highest number of dispositions at the lowest cost per disposition. As Judge, I consistently scored over 90% approval rating among members of the legal community regarding my work performance, punctuality, following the law, judicial temperament and ruling impartially. In addition to my duties of judge of this court, I implemented the Library Program and donations to the San Antonio Food Bank, as part of community service. I also participated in the Courts in School Program, where students had the opportunity to hear real cases and learn the importance of making right choices. I will continue to participate in programs which benefit our community as when I was selected to install the Ignition Interlock device on my personal vehicle and reported my findings to judicial peers regarding the pros and cons of the device. I was actively involved in the planning and implementation stages of the Veterans Court and was the first Judge to preside over the court. I worked closely with the Veterans Administration, State Representatives and local Bexar County officials to bring this program into fruition.

5 Why did you decide to be a candidate in whichever political party you chose? Personally, I am a fiscal conservative, but in matters of civil rights and due process, my philosophy is more in line with the democratic party. Are you uncomfortable accepting campaign contributions from lawyers who might appear in your court? In order to run a successful campaign, we unfortunately accept campaign contributions from lawyers that appear before the court. While in private practice, I contributed to several campaigns for the sole purpose of keeping qualified judges on the bench. My decisions on the bench are based only on the facts and the law that apply to each case. Why are you the best candidate for the position you are seeking? I ran one of the most efficient courts in Bexar County. I dispose the highest number of criminal cases, at the lowest cost to the taxpayers, per Bexar County Judicial Management Report. In addition, I have over 25 years of working in the criminal justice system, as a probation officer, attorney and judge. I have conducted many trials to conclusion, heard hundreds of motions, magistrate people accused of crimes, have volunteered to work nights and weekends presiding over the Jail Court and during the blood draw weekends. I am very involved in my community having served on the following committees and boards: The San Antonio Zoning Commission; The Mission ACTS Board; The Martin Luther King Scholarship Committee; Courts in School Program; The Fox Tech Law Magnet Program; making myself available to speak at Career Days at local schools; judging mock trial competitions for young law students and attorneys, among others. I have received numerous awards and accolades, including: the City of San Antonio Appreciation Award for Public Service; Certification of Appreciation from the U.S. Marine Corps; LULAC Best Dad Award; Fox Tech Law Magnet Appreciation Award; and Certification of Appreciation from the School of Science and Technology, etc. In judicial poll results, I have been consistently voted one of the best judges in Bexar County because of my hard work, following the law and my judicial temperament I will continue to bring integrity, fairness, and respect for the position, and everyone who comes before the bench; including victims, citizens and staff. I am committed to this community to treat people fairly, work hard, and I respectfully ask for your vote.