Laredo council confirms Javier Montemayor as associate municipal court judge over transparency concerns

LAREDO, Texas — The Laredo City Council confirmed Javier E. Montemayor Jr. as an associate municipal court judge after debate about appointment procedures and potential conflicts stemming from his simultaneous service on a local school board.

The appointment (agenda item 6) was introduced by Judge Dominguez, who described Montemayor as a lawyer with nearly 29 years of experience and prior judicial or referee service. "He's got excellent work; he has no complaints against him publicly under the state bar," Dominguez said.

Several speakers from the public urged caution. Longtime former city attorney Jose Salvador Tejas told the council he was "not questioning Mr. Montemayor's qualifications" but criticized the transparency of the selection process and asked council to refer the item to HR for screening and a competitive process. Tejas said the charter previously envisioned HR screening and multiple candidates rather than an elected official presenting a single choice.

Montemayor himself addressed concerns in council questioning, saying he saw no legal conflict and pledging to finish his school-board term while serving as judge if appointed. "There is no conflict in loyalties," he said.

Council proceeded to a roll-call vote; the clerk recorded 7 votes in favor and 1 against, and the council confirmed Montemayor to finish the current term. Council members asked staff to clarify the associate-judge contracting structure and whether the appointment's term would be tied to a particular elected judge's term under the new charter language.

The council's action resolves a vacancy created by charter changes that added additional municipal-court positions and establishes the council's confirmation under the city charter.