Rogelio Lopez

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Rogelio Lopez

Democratic Party

Prior offices

Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1

Successor: Michele Garcia

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Elections and appointments

Last election

March 1, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Texas A&M University, 1991

Law

St. Mary's University School of Law, 1994

Personal

Birthplace

El Paso, Texas

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

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Rogelio Lopez (Democratic Party) was a judge for Precinct 4 Place 1 of the Bexar County Justice of the Peace in Texas. He assumed office in 2009. He left office on December 31, 2022.

Lopez (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for the Precinct 4 Place 1 judge of the Bexar County Justice of the Peace in Texas. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 1, 2022.

Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rogelio Lopez was born in El Paso, Texas. Lopez's professional experience includes working as an attorney. He earned a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University in 1991 and a J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1994.

Lopez has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Rotary Club South
• Lion’s Club
• Bexar County Bail Bond Board
• VFW Post 837
• Southeast Business Women’s Club
• Judson & East Central PTA

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Bexar County, Texas (2022)

General election

The general election was canceled. Michele Garcia won election in the general election for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1.

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1

Michele Garcia defeated Yolanda Uresti in the Democratic primary runoff for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Michele Garcia	55.3	9,387
	Submit photo	Yolanda Uresti	44.7	7,596

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,983
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1

Yolanda Uresti and Michele Garcia advanced to a runoff. They defeated incumbent Rogelio Lopez in the Democratic primary for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1 on March 1, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Yolanda Uresti	38.9	8,155
✔	Submit photo	Michele Garcia	36.0	7,541
		Rogelio Lopez	25.1	5,254

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,950
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Albert Whitby (D)

Endorsements

To view Lopez's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2018

General election

General election for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1

Incumbent Rogelio Lopez defeated David Brady in the general election for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rogelio Lopez (D)	79.7	72,161
	Submit photo	David Brady (L)	20.3	18,413
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,575 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1

Incumbent Rogelio Lopez advanced from the Democratic primary for Bexar County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Place 1 on March 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rogelio Lopez	100.0	14,351

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 14,351
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rogelio Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lopez's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Judge Lopez has been the presiding Judge in the Bexar County Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 1 Court going on 13 years. He has been a licensed attorney for 27 years. He is licensed in all Texas State Courts, the Western District of Texas Federal Court and the United States Tax Court.

Judge Lopez obtained his Juris Doctorate at St. Mary's University, School of Law. He excelled in academics and he made the Law School Dean's list his first year in law school. While in law school he served as an intern with the Federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and he also wrote for St. Mary's Law Journal. For his undergraduate degree, he attended Texas A&M University as a scholarship recipient.

Judge Lopez is nationally recognized both as a trial attorney and as a judge. His first year out of law school, Judge Lopez had a brief appearance on the syndicated program "60 Minutes" for his work on a nationally litigated defective products liability mass tort case. He has also been recognized for winning a nationally publicized multimillion dollar family violence jury trial verdict, and for a running nationally recognized Court for truancy initiatives. Throughout his career, Judge Lopez has always demonstrated genuine leadership qualities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Experience matters. The Court is not the place for on the job training. Judge Lopez has over 30 years of courtroom experience. Judge Lopez is the Senior Judge at this court level in Bexar County, and as such he as assumed the leadership role in creating uniform orders, procedures and maintenance of the County web site for all of the Justice of the Peace Courts.
• Being properly educated matters. While having an education and having experience are both important, having relevant education and experience are key to running a successful court. As the Express News stated: "hiring a non-lawyer to be a judge is like hiring a cook to fix your air conditioner. It doesn't make sense."
• Caring for one's community matters. Judge Lopez has always been very active in his community. He is a former Rotary Club South President; member of the Lion’s Club; currently serves as the Chair of the Bexar County Bail Bond Board; is a VFW Post 837, Honorary Member; is a former Honorary Member, Southeast Business Women’s Club; and has been an active parent in both Judson & East Central PTA.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a judge, the canons of judicial ethics prevent advocacy for most policies. At the same time, a judge can work closely with organizations that benefit those individuals who appear before the Court. Judge Lopez has always worked closely with his community in bringing resources to the Court. Organizations have partnered with the Court to provide mentorship and guidance opportunities for youth who appear in the Court. Judge Lopez has also partnered with the Boys and Girls club to bring mentorship opportunities to Court staff. Likewise, he has on many occasions opened the Courtroom up to high school students for internship opportunities, and for mock trial competitors. During the Pandemic, Judge Lopez has welcomed and invited numerous organizations providing rental assistance as well as relocation assistance to individuals facing being displaced as the result of eviction suits. Judge Lopez has also always worked closely with the Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center to bring mediators to Court. This resource is invaluable in having parties play an active role in resolving their disputes.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The Bexar County Precinct 4, Place 1 Justice of the Peace Court has had an attorney serve as the fulltime judge for over 50 years. Judge Lopez brings over 30 years of legal experience to the bench as both a trial lawyer and as a judge.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To effectively serve in this office, one must understand the community, understand the law, and understand how to run an efficient court. This Court processes 50,000 to 60,000 cases per year, and without an understanding of these three areas, the Court will not run effectively and citizens will suffer.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was as a cashier at K-mart. I worked there while I was in high school. That job taught me the importance of customer service, responsibility, and paying attention to details. If you were short as a cashier, you would be written up. If it happened more than once you would be facing the possibility of losing your job.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"On my way" by Jennifer Lopez. The song talks about the journey which has bee sometimes painful and sometimes difficult, but in the end it has all been worth it.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Justice of the Peace Court handles a variety of different types of cases. It is both a civil and a criminal court as well as an administrative court. The court also serves as a magistrate. Civil disputes can involve controversies up to $20,000.00 ranging from auto collisions, dog bites, contractual disputes and evictions. Criminal matters can include all Class C misdemeanors such as assault, theft, juvenile violations, traffic violations and game and fish violations. In addition to these types of cases, the court sits as the tribunal for the Department of Public Safety, which can administratively revoke driving licenses as well as handgun licenses. Administrative hearings also include wrongful tow hearings.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

A judge should follow the law. Every judge who gets sworn in, takes an oath to do so. While occasionally, there are questions in the law that have not been clearly answered, and thus there is some room for judicial discretion, most of the time the law is very clear. While I may not always agree personally with the way a certain way a law has been written, until it is challenged or otherwise overturned, I will stay true to my oath and I will follow the law.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am seeking to be re-elected because there is still much work to do in moving this Court forward. I have been instrumental in bringing e-filing to the Justice of the Peace Courts in Bexar County, and I have made it much easier for constituents to address matters before the Court via web portals, rather than having to take an entire day off of work to deal with a case before the Court. Despite all of these changes, there is still much work to be done to make this court take full advantage of the efficiencies which can be gained through the use of technology.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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