Prominent El Paso federal magistrate judge LeonSchydlowerwas nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Texas.
Schydlower and Ernesto Gonzalez, a senior attorney advisor in the U.S. Department of Justice, were nominated Dec. 19 to fill vacant federal district court judicial seats in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, which includes El Paso, Austin and San Antonio.
Schydlower directed all interview requests about his nomination to White House officials since the confirmation is still pending. White House officials did not immediately respond to an interview request.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, issued a statement spotlighting Schydlower's military and legal experience.
"Congratulationsto El Pasoan LeonSchydlower, who has officially been nominated by President Biden to serve as the United States DistrictJudgefor the Western District of Texas," Escobar said. "JudgeSchydloweris a Navy veteran, current U.S. Air Force Reservist, and an experienced attorney andjudge. I look forward to seeing Mr.Schydlowerconfirmed and assuming this position of great significance as soon as possible."
Schydlower serves as a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He has held that position since 2015. Prior to becoming a judge, he worked as a private practice lawyer from 2002 to 2015. Between 2000 and 2002, he was a partner and associate attorney at El Paso's Kemp Smith law firm.
He also worked as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii from 1998 to 2000.
Schydlower has extensive legal experience, including serving as a military attorney and judge for over a decade.
He served as a trial attorney on active duty in the U.S. NavyJudgeAdvocate General's Corps from 1996 to 1998. He was in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2004 and has served in the U.S. Air Force ReserveJudgeAdvocate General's Corps since 2010, where he currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Schydlower received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1995. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993. He graduated from Hank High School.
"JudgeLeonSchydlowerand Ernest Gonzalez were both subject to rigorous vetting by the bipartisan Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee that Senator (John) Cornyn and I use for all judicial nominations,"U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a statement."JudgeSchydlowerhas a wide range of experience, having served on the federal bench as a United States MagistrateJudge, as a federal prosecutor, as aJudgeAdvocate in both the Navy and the Air Force, and in private practice.
"Ernest Gonzalez has nearly three decades of legal experience, with hundreds of jury trials under his belt. Most of his career has focused on prosecuting cartels and other complex international drug trafficking cases. They have the experience to be effective U.S. districtjudges."
Gonzalez is currently a senior attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section, officials said.
He previously served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas from 2003 to 2023 and as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas from 2000 to 2003, officials said.
Gonzalez worked as an assistant district attorney in Bexar County in San Antonio from 1994 to 2000. He received his law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston in 1993 and a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1987.
"With decades of experience in Texas courtrooms,JudgeLeonSchydlowerand Ernest Gonzalez have the legal acumen and institutional knowledge required to excel on the federal bench,"U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement."I was proud to recommend each of them for these positions alongside Senator Cruz, and I look forward to voting on their nominations in the Senate soon."
The nominations of Schydlower and Gonzalez come as there are three federal district court judge vacancies in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The vacancies are from the passing of Judge Philip Ray Martinez in 2021 and the promotion of judges David C. Guaderrama and Frank Montalvo to senior judge status.
Dates on when the confirmation hearings will be held have not been set.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter@AMartinezEPT.
