Texas Border Business
As a decorated veteran, former State District Judge and prosecutor, Jaime Tijerina knows what it means to fight for justice.
As a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserves, he served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting to uphold the law in the midst of war during the major American military operations of 2009 and 2012, earning him two Bronze Stars.
Now, he is embarking on a new mission: to bring justice back to South Texas.
On Monday, April 24, Tijerina formally announced he would seek to become one of the six Judges who preside over the 13th Court of Appeals, which serves 20 Texas counties including Hidalgo, Cameron, Nueces and Victoria.
“I believe in God, my country and my community here in South Texas,” Tijerina said. “I feel it is now my duty to step up and fight for what’s right here at home.”
Tijerina, a native son of McAllen with deep ties all across the Rio Grande Valley and the Coastal Bend, intends to run for the soon-to-be-vacant Place 4 seat currently held by Justice Nelda Vidaurri-Rodriguez, who will not seek re-election when her term ends in 2018.
Tijerina brings to the campaign trail an arsenal of legal experience both on and off the bench. In 2013, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to serve as a district judge in Hidalgo County. He has also served South Texas citizens as County Attorney in Kenedy County and now in his current role as a City Attorney for the City of Mission.
As Appellate Judge, he aims to combat the perception of corruption by restoring public faith in the legal system, and providing the court with the independence and diversity of opinion that true justice requires.
Presently, all six judges on the court are Democrats. Tijerina will run in the Republican primary, scheduled for 2018.
“Freedom and democracy cannot exist without the rule of law,” he said. “I’ve seen with my own eyes what happens to societies that surrender to a lower standard of justice — in places like Tikrit and Kabul — and I refuse to let that happen here.”
