For nearly a year now, McAllen solo practitioner Pat Nitsch has grown angry when he visits the Hidalgo County Courthouse and sees Edinburg attorney Noe Perez, who’s pleaded guilty in a criminal case alleging he paid bribes to a judge in exchange for favorable rulings.

“It’s frustrating, to say the least, to think there’s an attorney who’s pleaded guilty to bribing a judge, and he’s been allowed to keep practicing law,” Nitsch said. “It’s a black-and-white issue, as far as I’m concerned.”