Ernest Gonzalez was appointed United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas, Del Rio Division by President Joe Biden in 2024. He was born and raised in San Antonio, attending Holy Cross of San Antonio High School – class of 1981. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He went on to receive his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.

Before his appointment to the bench, he dedicated his life to public service. He was an Assistant District Attorney in Bexar County for six years before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney first in the Western District of Texas, Del Rio Division and then the Eastern District of Texas, Plano Division. During his time in the Eastern District, he became the Deputy Criminal Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

He was recognized as a preeminent prosecutor and authority in narcotics enforcement, organized crime, and international drug trafficking. He worked as a Senior Attorney Advisor in the Department of Justice’s Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Section, overseeing and managing largescale, complex drug trafficking prosecutions. He also served as an instructor with the Department of Justice’s Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training Program, and as a Legal Attache at U.S. embassies in Colombia and Guatemala. Besides instructing the next generation of narcotics enforcement prosecutors, he has worked to strengthen the legal systems of countries across Central and South America in their efforts to combat organized crime.

He has previously appeared in numerous periodicals and television programs regarding major narcotics investigations including National Geographic’s “Narco Wars,” MSNBC’s “American Greed,” and others. He has received many awards and accolades for his work such as the FBI Texoma Criminal Enterprise Task Force Outstanding Performance Award, the HIS National Aviation Investigation Award, the Eastern District of Texas OCDETF Award for Outstanding Performance, the FBI Outstanding Prosecutive Skills and Assistance to the FBI Award, the National Association of Former United States Attorneys Exceptional Service Award, and various United States Attorneys Performance Awards.