Judson ISD board designates JCA Law PLLC as interim board counsel amid disputes over process

The Judson ISD Board of Trustees voted to designate JCA Law PLLC as interim board counsel and to name Walsh Gallegos as interim legal counsel for the administration, after trustees debated whether to run a competitive procurement.

The motion, introduced by Trustee Miss Poteet and seconded by Trustee Miss Lee, named JCA Law PLLC to "handle all board legal matters, including but not limited to handling all board members' phone calls and attending board meetings in closed session effective immediately" and designated Walsh Gallegos to assist the administration "as determined by the interim superintendent." The board president announced that the motion passed by a 4-to-3 vote.

Trustees who opposed the immediate appointment urged using an RFQ to avoid the appearance of favoritism and to ensure objectivity. "If we're going to entertain this idea of going out, it should be through an RFQ process, not ... an interim," said Trustee Miss Stanford, arguing a competitive process would give the board "a wide variety of choice." Trustee Mr. Macias said identifying one firm in advance creates concerning optics: "The fact that one's been identified means that there's already a favorite, and so that's concerning."

Supporters of the designation cited practices in neighboring districts and stated several boards had moved toward JCA. The board president defended the motion by saying many districts have switched to JCA and reported strong recommendations.

The debate also included questions about continuity on ongoing legal matters. Some trustees asked whether Walsh Gallegos would continue work on cases it previously handled; meeting participants clarified that Walsh would remain involved in administration matters as designated in the motion but that specific closed‑session matters would remain subject to counsel assignments previously made.

A separate motion to postpone the designation and appoint independent interim counsel (named in debate as Escamilla and Ponek) and proceed later with an RFQ was made by Trustee Mr. Macias but failed in a vote recorded in open session as "Motion does not pass, 3 to 4." Earlier, Mr. Macias had also moved to go into closed session to discuss counsel selection; that motion likewise failed, recorded as "Motion does not pass, 3 to 4."

The meeting then moved into a closed session under Texas Government Code provisions to discuss employee complaints against board members. After returning to open session, board members carried on with other agenda items.

The immediate effect of the vote is that JCA Law PLLC will assume board-counsel duties named in the motion and Walsh Gallegos will be designated to assist the administration; trustees who opposed the action signaled they may seek a different procurement process in the future.