Carlos Villalon, Jr., newly appointed Associate Judge for the Child Protection Court of the Rio Grande Valley West was sworn into office Friday, July 13, 2012 by the Honorable Israel Ramon Jr., Judge of the 430th District Court.

The Child Protection Court of the Rio Grande Valley West has been in existence since 1999 and handles almost all of the child protection/welfare cases in both Hidalgo and Starr counties. All cases are referred to this court by both the District Courts and County Courts at Law, all of which are filed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Villalon was appointed to the position on June 4, 2012 by the Hon. J. Rolando Olvera, Presiding Judge of the 5th Administrative Judicial Region, under Sec. 201.201 of the Texas Family Code, and sworn in informally on that same day by the Hon. Israel Ramon, Jr. This position was previously held by Associate Judge Ricardo Flores who served in this capacity since the court's inception; he retired at the end of May 2012.

Mr. Villalon brings years of experience to the court, having served as an attorney in the Rio Grande Valley for over 14 years. Most recently, he was employed with the Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General for the State of Texas, serving as a child support and divorce attorney. Villalon graduated from the University of Texas-Pan American in 1991 with a degree in Political Science and received his Juris Doctorate in 1997 from St. Mary’s University School of Law.