Hon. Rosa Maria Gonzalez, BA, JD, CWLS: Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez was born in Brownsville, Texas to parents who instilled in her a love for both her culture and country, and learned the importance of service to her community and the value of people in her life. She graduated from St. Mary’s University Law School in 2001, then practiced law for almost 17 years, becoming the only lawyer in South Texas to be certified as a Child Welfare Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children prior to taking the bench. In her law career, she represented hundreds of foster children in the CPS system. She mentored many new attorneys, who went on to develop successful law careers. The judge had a solo practice, where she committed to hard work and service to her clients. Rosie loves the law; this passion led her to running for judge in 2018 of County Court 13; a misdemeanor domestic violence court in Bexar County. After a successful & victorious campaign, she took the bench in January 2019. She ran with the following initiatives: 1) to create a drug court/ domestic violence specialty program that addresses the core issues that bring offenders into the courtroom; 2) to collaborate with UTSA’s Counseling Department to set up a therapeutic support for the victims of domestic violence and 3) to develop and bring transparency to the working of the criminal justice system. During the 2019 Texas Legislative Session, she co-authored HB 3529 which was sponsored by State Rep. Roland Gutierrez and Senator Jose Menendez. HB 3529 was signed into law by Gov. Abbott and mandates that a Specialty Drug Court be implemented within Bexar County Court at Law No. 13’s Domestic Violence Docket, that Specialty Court is what we now know as REFLEJO COURT. In 2023, REFLEJO Court was continued by Gov. Abbott when he signed HB 4333 sponsored by State Rep. Josey Garcia who garnered bipartisan support for the program. Judge Speedlin Gonzalez recognizes the lack of resources for our most vulnerable residents. Further, she is aware that the most dangerous places in our city can exist in the home. She dedicates her time on the bench to addressing the needs for an ever-increasing problem in our city. In 2021, the Texas Diversity Council honored Rosie with the LGBTQ+ Individual Leadership Award. In 2020, she was chosen as the recipient of the Alice Wright Franzke Feminist Award for outstanding work done and will continue to do that promotes the ideals of peace, empowerment, cooperation, equality and respect of all persons. Over the past three and half years, she was been honored with the PIONEER AWARD recipient by Bexar County Commissioners, awarded the POLITICAL ICON award by the PRIDE Center and has been nominated for countless additional civic service and legal distinction awards. As an assistant professor at St. Mary’s University Law School, she co-taught the Child Welfare Law Seminar with tenured professor Ana Novoa, and taught the Child Abuse & Domestic Violence Class at UTSA Downtown campus as a guest lecturer for six semesters and was honored for her teaching with the Richard S. Howe Award for her service to undergraduate students. Additionally, she was a featured writer for LA PRENSA TEXAS and is the author of their MANGUERA MEMORIES column; and is a highly sought after and frequent speaker on local radio shows, podcasts and panels across the state, nationally and internationally. Judge Speedlin Gonzalez devoted her career as an attorney to obtaining fairness and justice for the disenfranchised and the voiceless., and as a judge she continues to be committed to ensuring that women have a seat at the policy making table of their respective communities of origin. She has received the Adele Advocate for the Poor Award, has been inducted into the Order of Barristers and INNS of Court, and is a recipient of the Presidential National Leadership Award. She is a past Commissioner on the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Commission on the Status of Latinas in the Legal Profession, past Chairperson of the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas and Past President of both the MABA San Antonio Chapter and MABA Texas, and served on multiple non-profit and educational boards. She has been recognized for her work and leadership by the Texas Association of Specialty Courts with the Judge John C. Cruezot Award for Judicial Vision Leadership for her Courage, Vision and Conviction in the Justice System, joining such distinguished jurists as retired Judges Al Alonso and Peter Sakai for their service on the bench.