Gonzalo Rios, a long time local defense attorney, has taken over as judge of the 119th Judicial District Court. The Court has jurisdiction over Tom Green, Concho and Runnels Counties. District Courts are courts of general jurisdiction over all felony criminal cases, divorce, child custody and other family law cases, as well as civil lawsuits. His predecessor, the Honorable Ben Woodward did not seek reelection. Last week we sat down with Judge Rios to learn his story and what he will bring to the administration of justice in San Angelo.
The son of migrant farm workers, Judge Rios grew up in the barrio of San Angelo, Texas. He graduated from Central High School in 1975, and Angelo State University in 1980 with a B.A. in Government. After college he went to work as a supervisor at Ethicon. During his time at Ethicon he met and became good friends with former District Judge Dick Alcala, then a private attorney. It was Judge Alcala who was instrumental in encouraging Rios to attend law school and pursue a career as a lawyer. Alcala, who took Senior Judge status in 1998, has been a tremendous influence and mentor for Judge Rios throughout his legal career.
While working at Ethicon, Rios also worked on his MBA at Angelo State. After several years, he left Ethicon to attend law school at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas. During his time in law school he also completed his MBA at Angelo State in 1989. He graduated with his Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall and passed the bar exam in 1992.
His plan during law school was always to return and practice as a criminal defense attorney in his hometown of San Angelo. He opened his own office for the private practice of law in 1992 and never looked back. During his investiture ceremony Rios told the story of how his first client was his father, Gonzalo Rios Sr. He told his son that Rios was going to help him become a citizen. Rios laughed and said he tried to explain to his father that he was not an immigration attorney. His father told Rios he would figure it out. He did.
When Judge Alcala chose not to run again in 1998 Rios decided to run to replace him as the 340th District Judge. While he was not successful that time, over his thirty-three year legal career Rios became one of the best and most respected criminal defense and family law attorneys in the region. This is reflected in the fact that this time he faced no opposition when he announced he was running to replace Judge Woodward.
When asked why he decided to run again he said it was because he felt a sense of responsibility to his town and his community. At his investiture, Judge Rios said that he knew if he was going to take on this job he had to do it for the right reasons. Having grown up “deep in the barrio” he was a product of San Angelo and wants to take care of it and make it better. Spending just a short time with Rios his devotion to his community becomes apparent.
For most attorneys choosing to take the bench results in making less money. Lawyers in private practice can make considerably more than judges. The persons who decide to take on the challenging role of judge do so for reasons other than money. For Rios that is the desire to serve the people and the community that means so much to him. Rios never considered or dreamed of living or practicing law anywhere else but San Angelo. As an attorney Rios was also known and recognized by the legal community for the thousands of hours he gave providing free or low cost representation to people who could not pay for it. He was also a recipient of the Criselda Paz Award for his pro bono service from Legal Aid of Northwest Texas.
Judge Rios’s investiture took place on January 1, 2025 in courtroom A of the Tom Green County Courthouse. Judge Alcala returned to San Angelo from his home in El Paso to be present for the occasion and to administer to Judge Rios the oath of office. It was a special occasion and the courtroom, the largest in the courthouse, was packed with family, friends, fellow lawyers and well wishers. He joins Judge Jay Weatherby, Judge Brad Goodwin, and Judge Carmen Dusek who also serve as District Judges.
