The Fort Worth City Council has shuffled the deck of its Municipal Court, reappointing several judges and selecting a new chief judge and deputy chief judge on Tuesday, heralding a new chapter for the city's judiciary. Assistant City Manager Valerie Washington announced that judges Simon González and Andrew Bradshaw, both seasoned in the intricacies of legal processes, are stepping up to fill these prominent roles, as reported by the City of Fort Worth.
"I'm proud to announce that two esteemed judges – Simon González and Andrew Bradshaw – both with deep knowledge of our judicial system and strong commitments to legal ethics, will assume new roles in Fort Worth Municipal Court," Washington stated, as per the City of Fort Worth. The judges are set to put their stamps on the court with their strategic problem-solving skills and improvements to the judicial framework. Their terms are slated from April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2026. González, a Fort Worth native, is taking the helm as the Chief Judge after years of judicial service including initiating the virtual attorney plea docket and the public recognizance bond process in conjunction with local marshals.
Deputy Chief Judge Bradshaw, holding distinguished standings from both Texas Christian University and Baylor University School of Law, joins the leadership team with a reputation for precision and genial courtroom demeanor. Court Director William Rumuly expressed his enthusiasm for the appointments, acknowledging the judges' vast experiences as assets to the court's operations.
The revamp was prompted by the departure of former Chief Judge Danny Rodgers late last year, who left the bench after nearly three decades with the Municipal Courts, leaving the field open for Gonzalez and Bradshaw to fill. The full-time roster includes Judge Carla G. Kelman, appointed in 2022, Judges Melanie Houston and Thaddeus Iwuji, both appointed in 2018, and the more tenured Judges Pat Summers, Raquel Brown, Claudia Martinez, and R. Neel McDonald, whose appointments date back between 2006 and 2014.
