Mario Gonzalez Admonished

Mario Gonzalez, municipal court judge for Horizon City, San Elizario, and Clint, Texas, was publicly admonished by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct after using his judicial title during a 2020 ABC-7 El Paso television interview about bail reform. The Commission found the conflict wasn't simply commenting publicly on a policy issue — Gonzalez also practices law and represents clients in the surety bond industry, including bail bondsman Pascual Olibas, while personally setting bail in his own municipal courts for Class C offenses. The Commission determined Gonzalez's conduct violated multiple provisions of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, including lending the prestige of his judicial office to advance private interests, engaging in activity that cast doubt on his impartiality, and participating in business dealings that reflected adversely on his judicial role.