WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, the office of U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales announced that a bill sponsored by the Big Bend representative would be headed to the White House. If the bill gets President Biden’s blessing, the district courthouse in Alpine will be formally designated as a venue for federal court proceedings.
Gonzales was hopeful that the bill would expand “access to justice” for his constituents in the remote reaches of the Big Bend. “Currently, residents of the Big Bend region, including law enforcement, must drive long distances to attend trial proceedings in the nearest federal courthouse,” Gonzales explained in a press release. “That travel is costly, time-consuming, and puts a strain on the public, not to mention law enforcement agencies which have limited resources and face unprecedented issues along our border.”
Texas U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz spearheaded a companion bill to the Improving Access to our Courts Act in the Senate. Sen. Cruz echoed Gonzales’ optimism. “Through this needed addition, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas is now able to provide more efficient service to the people of West Texas, allowing them to seek redress without needing to drive for several hours to the nearest federal courthouse,” he wrote.
District courts hear a wide range of cases: criminal felonies, election contests, pricier civil cases and bankruptcies. The Alpine courtroom falls under the Pecos Division of the Western District Court of Texas. The massive Pecos Division hears cases from the Big Bend region, as well as Culberson, Hudspeth, Pecos, Reeves, Ward, Winkler and Loving counties.
Despite its size — and relatively high caseload — the Pecos Division does not have its own district judge. District Judge David Counts also hears cases in the neighboring Midland-Odessa and Del Rio divisions.
Currently, the Alpine district courthouse is designated as a magistrate court, which typically hears the first few steps of a case but does not handle final proceedings such as sentencing and trials. Federal Magistrate David Fannin hears cases in Alpine, helping move the docket along as criminal proceedings move through the system.
Alpine attorney Shane O’Neal said that he wasn’t expecting a huge change for people in his line of work. He explained that Judge Counts already holds proceedings — including occasional trials and sentencings — in Alpine, making the congressional recognition of its courthouse a formality. “Functionally or practically, I don’t think it makes a difference at all,” he said.
Presidio County Attorney Rod Ponton said that folks called for jury duty would likely see the biggest benefit from the bill. “It doesn’t make sense for cases that happened at the bridge in Presidio to go to Pecos when you have to drive by the federal courthouse at Alpine to get there,” he said. “It’s just streamlining things.”