El Paso County’s 388th District Court Judge Marlene Gonzalez is running for a second term against family law attorney Joy Degenhart.

Gonzalez, a native Puerto Rican, began her legal career as a criminal defense attorney on the Caribbean island. After relocating to El Paso, Gonzalez worked four years in the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, primarily in support of domestic violence victims. In 1990, Gonzalez switched to private practice and in 2003 was appointed as a municipal judge for the City of El Paso.