Judge Patricia A. Macías, Presiding Judge of the 388th Family District Court in El Paso, Texas, was elected President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges during the organization’s 71st Annual Conference held July 27-30, 2008 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Judge Macías has served on the bench for over 13 years, first as Associate Judge of the Children’s Court and for the past seven years as District Judge presiding over high conflict custody and divorce, domestic violence and child support enforcement cases. Under her leadership, the Children’s Court was designated as a Model Court of NCJFCJ’s Child Victims Act Model Courts Initiative and most recently, has developed a state pilot project unifying the El Paso Family Courts. 

 A graduate of St. Mary’s University School of Law, Judge Macías has long been involved with state and national organizations focusing on the needs of children. In May 2003, she was named to the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. She has been a member of Texas Supreme Court Task Force on Foster Care and was recently named by the Texas Supreme Court to the Permanent Judicial Committee for Youth and Families.  A frequent judicial educator, Judge Macías has presented before state judicial conferences and national child advocacy programs. 

Judge Macías was honored in 2005 as a “Texas Trailblazer” by the El Paso Bar Association and in 2003 for her outstanding public service with induction into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame. She received the Public Citizen of the Year Award in 2000 from the El Paso Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and, in 1996, was named Judge of the Year by the State Foster Parent Association.