On Monday, August 5, 2024, MyRGV.com reported that a visiting judge denied a motion to recuse the presiding judge in the high-profile election contest trial between Sonia Treviño and Ramon Segovia for the Hidalgo County Precinct 3, Place 1 justice of the peace seat.

Judge Joel Johnson heard over two hours of testimony and arguments in the 430th State District Court before ruling against Treviño’s motion. Treviño’s attorneys had sought to recuse Judge Jose Manuel Bañales from the case after he mistakenly signed an incorrect order that stated Segovia had won the election before all evidence had been presented.

According to the testimony, Bañales had orally ruled to deny Treviño’s attorneys from calling 170 witnesses but the written order submitted by Segovia’s legal team incorrectly included language from another draft document declaring Segovia the victor. Efrain Molina Jr., one of Treviño’s attorneys, discovered the error and said he was surprised by the premature judgment call indicated in the signed order.

Segovia’s lead counsel, Gilberto Hinojosa, took responsibility for the mistake, stating his co-counsel had accidentally printed the last page from the alternative draft document they had prepared in case they won the trial. However, Treviño’s attorneys argued it constituted an improper ex parte communication between the judge and one side.

Judge Johnson ultimately denied the recusal motion after finding the evidence insufficient to prove Bañales acted improperly or with bias. However, Treviño now faces an uphill battle after Bañales barred her from calling witnesses to disqualify ballots for Segovia, which her attorney had hoped could erase his narrow 31-vote lead.

The trial is set to resume amid ongoing tensions between the candidates’ legal teams. Hinojosa continued criticizing media coverage of the case, while Treviño’s attorney sought to establish Bañales’ impartiality was now in question for the public. Judge Johnson moved to prevent further delays by having all attorneys sign the order from the recusal hearing.

 

 

Source: MyRGV.com