40 years

Hinojosa’s time on the fed bench

Funny how things can turn completely upside down. At one point in time, 40 years ago, Rio Grande City native Ricardo Hinojosa became the youngest federal judge after being nominated by Ronald Reagan to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He was only 33 years old when the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination May 4, 1983, a month after the 40th president named him for the judicial seat.

Today, at the still relatively young age of 73, Hinojosa is now the longest-serving federal judge still in active service.

For his first five years on the bench, Hinojosa’s courtroom was based in Brownsville. Then came February 1988 and the grand opening of the first federal courtroom in McAllen where Hinojosa soon set up shop, and the same courtroom where he remains today on the southeast corner of Bicentennial and Bus. 83.

Clear as day, I can remember that day in 1988 when I attended the court’s grand opening. To say that things back then were so much simpler would be an understatement. There was still a bank on the first floor; you could park in the parking lot in front of the bank; and then without passing through a metal detector, ride on the elevator to the 10th floor.

Outside the judge’s courtroom were two U.S. Marshals and the metal detector. John Mohring and I can’t remember the other guy’s name. Both were retired from law enforcement, but rather than sit home watching TV, they signed on with the Marshals service. Once they got to know you, they’d let you bypass the detector.

The lead federal prosecutor was Jack Wolfe, and he only had two U.S. assistant attorneys at the time – Terry Leonard and Allen Hoffman (if memory serves).

There were no cellphones, no iPads, no nada for reporters other than pen and a reporter’s notebook.

The FBI had its offices in the same building on a floor one or two lower than the court. Only a few agents at the time, including a woman who looked like she could carry her weight with any of the men.

Back then, 35 years ago, McAllen was still so small, relatively speaking, I’d run into Judge Hinojosa sometimes at the N. 10th H-E-B, where he once laughingly told me that he’d always wanted to own a newspaper. I wanted to say, great, I’ll trade jobs with you.

This area was like that back then. It was almost impossible to go into the grocery store without running into someone you knew. Now, that’s hardly ever the case. Strangers all around.

At the courthouse, the drug cases were still a relatively big deal with a lot of bad actors seated before the bench. Only question was, at least in my mind, was, who’s the worst player in the mix? The guy(s) on trial, or the informant testifying against them?

White-collar crimes were infrequent. Even back then, Hinojosa was a no-nonsense guy on the bench, which made me glad I had never taken up a life of crime. When he laid down the gavel, the sound reverberated through his courtroom. He made it plain that he wouldn’t put up with BS from either the defendant(s) or the attorneys, defense or prosecution.

Over time, I struck up a friendship with both of the U.S. Marshals, Mohring in particular, who used to work with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department where he developed an intense dislike for a former Hidalgo County sheriff who ended up getting sentenced to seven years for taking money from a drug dealer (1994). Why take the money? So the drug trafficker could enjoy conjugal visits from both his wife and girlfriend in the sheriff’s own office. (Don’t ask.)

Even back then, Hidalgo County had more than its fair share of colorful stories, colorful characters.

“Gregg, you have to do something to shed light on this guy,” Meaning, the sheriff.

“Like what, John? Camp out at his ranch?”

Outside Hinojosa’s courtroom, John would take me into the men’s restroom where we’d take a cigarette break while the court was in recess. Indeed, life was much less regulated back in the day.

Now, I look back on those days in February 1988 when Judge Hinojosa first opened his courtroom in McAllen/ Hidalgo County and I think, where did all the time go?

For his part, today, the judge looks basically the same. Good genes, I guess. A few more wrinkles, but not many, some gray in the hair he has remaining, but when he’s out of the courtroom, swearing in some new public official, at his or her request, he’s still the affable guy he was so many years ago.

Forty years on the federal bench now. The longest active federal judge. Amazing run.

A local boy made good. A Harvard Law School grad no less. Congrats.