Allegations of dirty campaigning have arisen in the Democratic runoff for the 388th District Court in El Paso.

Incumbent Judge Laura Strathmann is defending her seat against challenger Marlene Gonzalez. Whoever wins the runoff will win the seat, since there's no Republican candidate running in November.

Gonzalez has raised campaign issues centered on the alleged inefficiency of Strathmann's court. But Strathmann fired back, alleging in an election questionnaire that Gonzalez has called her racist, and told voters that Strathmann isn't Hispanic and can't understand El Paso's Hispanic majority.

Gonzalez denied it.

"I never called her racist. To the contrary, she has called me many names," Gonzalez said in an interview. "I remember saying probably I'm better suited because I am Hispanic, and I do understand the ways, the people, and I don't need an interpreter."

Texas Lawyer is publishing Q&A's with judicial candidates in runoff elections. Early voting is June 29 to July 10, and election day is July 14.

"She lacks the judicial temperament and class the bench commands," Strathmann wrote about Gonzalez. "I have consistently demonstrated all aspects of proper judicial temperament. I am patient, open-minded, honest, compassionate, and I have a deep understanding of the law and more specifically, the Family Code."

Meanwhile, Gonzalez wrote that the way the court has been run "limits accountability and the administration of justice," and claims she's running to restore justice, integrity and efficiency to the court.

"The constant backups and continuances create a false expectation to practitioners and pro se litigants as their cases are never heard," Gonzalez wrote. "I will assure the community that I will observe punctuality and proper attendance to guarantee maximum court time efficiency. Secondly, I will abolish the 'backup system' that exists in that court."

Here are the Q&A's for Gonzalez and Strathmann.

Read more: Texas Voters: Meet the Candidates Running for Judge in July Primary Runoffs

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Marlene Gonzalez

What is a brief biography of work experience, educational qualifications and career honors that you want voters to know about?

Marlene Gonzalez Marlene Gonzalez, Law Office of Marlene Gonzalez, El Paso, Texas. Courtesy photo

BA (Cum Laude), MA (Cum Laude) and Juris Doctors, I started working as an attorney right after graduation at age of 23. I worked as an assistant district attorney for years. In El Paso, I worked at the County Attorney's Office for 4.5 years. I worked as an associate municipal judge for the city of El Paso for over twenty years; and as sole practitioner for about 25 years. My experience has been primarily in family law.

Why do you want this position?

I want to have the opportunity to restore justice, integrity and efficiency in the administration of justice for the 388th Judicial District Court. The current system that runs the 388th limits accountability and administration of justice. The constant backups and continuances create a false expectation to practitioners and pro se litigants as their cases are never heard. I want to bring integrity back to the court and reduce the trauma caused to the children by their parents' divorce or custody battles. The best interest of the children should be the principal consideration of the 388th Judicial District Court. I am a passionate family litigant ready to give back to our community my efficiency, knowledge and dedication.

How are you different or better suited for the bench than your opponent in the election?

I am better suited for the bench due to experience and inherent practice that I hold in all areas in which the court deals within a daily basis.

How would you go about managing this court's docket efficiently and effectively?

First, I will assure the community that I will observe punctuality and proper attendance to guarantee maximum court time efficiency. Secondly, I will abolish the "backup system" that exists in that court. Those "backup" hearings provide incorrect numbers of how many cases the court is moving on a daily basis. It is impossible to have five cases heard at the same time unless the matters are uncontested or are agreed between parties.

The "backup" system has created false expectations to practitioners and litigants. A witness that comes from out of town, public servants, professionals that are subpoenaed to come and testify to a "backup" hearing that might be canceled is a waste of resources and time to the community. I propose that two days out of the week the court hear uncontested matters with practitioners or pro se litigants during the first [two and a half] hours of the morning and devote the rest of the day for contested matters, giving the opportunity to practitioners to set their matters on a specific date and avoid cancellations or resets because they were set as a "backup." This will assure litigants equal time to present their case with a certainty that the case will be heard.

Also, I will try to create the figure of discovery masters which will be designated to hear discovery controversies, pretrial disputes and contested pretrials. The masters will have the responsibility to hear and solve mandatory judge's conferences, contested discovery disputes, and pretrial conferences to guarantee that cases will be ready for final hearing. This will avoid the necessity of backups, rescheduling and constant false expectations.

Where can voters go to get more information about you?

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Laura Strathmann

What is a brief biography of work experience, educational qualifications and career honors that you want voters to know about?

Laura Strathmann Judge Laura Strathmann, 388th District Court, El Paso, Texas. Courtesy photo

I acquired a bachelor of the arts degree in psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso. Thereafter, I went to St. Mary's University in San Antonio and earned a master of business administration, which also provided the opportunity to study international finance in Switzerland and Germany. I then went to Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth to earn a doctorate of jurisprudence and again traveled abroad to study international public law and international litigation and arbitration at Regents College in London, England, and international contracts at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.

After law school, I returned to El Paso in 2001 to open a private practice and devoted myself to the practice of family law. During this time, I was the president of the El Paso Family Bar Association for three years. I volunteered my time to Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Junior League, the Lady Shriners, and as a den leader to the Cub Scouts.

Now, in addition to being a district judge, I am vice president of the El Paso Bar Association, I serve on the board of directors of several organizations, such as GiGi's Playhouse, the Paso Del Norte Center of Hope, League of Women Voters, and Lawyers for Patriots.

Why do you want this position?

I care about the litigants in the courtroom and the children that are not in the courtroom (and ultimately most affected by the rulings). I work very hard to ensure that the cases that come before me are handled compassionately and consistent with the law. I would be honored if the citizens of El Paso reelected me to continue doing so.

How are you different or better suited for the bench than your opponent or opponents?

I am different and better suited for the bench than Marlene Gonzalez because I have consistently demonstrated all aspects of proper judicial temperament. I am patient, open-minded, honest, compassionate, and I have a deep understanding of the law and more specifically, the Family Code. My opponent misunderstands the qualifications to sit on the bench, when we were campaigning in El Paso (which is 85% Hispanic) and voters would approach the polling place, she would point at me and say to the voter, "She's not Hispanic, she doesn't understand us, vote for Gonzalez." Ironically, she would then turn around and call me a racist. Ms. Gonzalez has run a race that has been deemed the dirtiest judicial campaign in El Paso history; she lacks the judicial temperament and class the bench commands. This race is a perfect example of why the governor created a commission to overhaul our current selection of judges based on partisan politics rather than vetting and selecting truly qualified candidates.

How would you go about managing this court's docket efficiently and effectively?

Issuing scheduling orders from the beginning of the case is helpful as well as following the statutory guidelines and the Texas Supreme Court guidelines of the time it should take to resolve a case, and docketing backup hearings so that if there is a cancellation the courtroom is not empty.

Where can voters go for more information about you?