Alumni Profile: Kathleen Cardone '76

When a door opens, walk through

Kathleen Cardone's career took a sharp turn in 2003 when the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination as a federal judge in the Western District of Texas. In nearly 25 years as an attorney and judge, she had devoted much of her time to family law and worked to improve the family court system in El Paso. She had also volunteered with many family-focused community organizations, such as the Children Cope with Divorce Program and the Domestic Violence Task Force Commission.

But as the first female federal judge in El Paso, "I've stepped away from all that totally," Cardone said. Instead, she presides over cases that touch on other important social issues, such as employer-employee relations, education and immigration -- an especially pressing matter in a border town. "The kinds of cases we handle have such an effect on everyday society that it's very fascinating, interesting work," she said.

You might say Cardone was destined for the law. Her father is an attorney, and four of her five siblings also attended law school. At Binghamton, she double-majored in Spanish language and literature and Latin American studies. She chose a law school in San Antonio in part because she wanted to be near the Mexican border, where she could use her linguistic and cultural knowledge and perhaps practice international law.

In El Paso, Cardone ran a private legal practice and served as a municipal court judge, an associate judge for the Family Court of El Paso County, judge for the 383rd and 388th state Judicial District Courts and visiting judge for the State of Texas. During her terms as district judge, she "specialized" her newly created courts, making them focus on family law.

In the past, Cardone explained, each state court in El Paso handled every manner of case, from murder to business disputes to divorce. Criminal cases took top priority. "If you were going for a divorce, you could put your case on the docket and not be heard for two or three years," she said. In the specialized family courts, domestic cases move much faster.

When Texas laid plans to build a new courthouse in El Paso, Cardone successfully lobbied to create an environment designed for family needs. Family Law is situated on the 11th floor of the courthouse and features rooms where spouses and their lawyers may try to resolve disputes privately before they see a judge, or where parties may conduct mediation. It also provides a child-care room.

Unfortunately, many people revisit family court again and again, waging ongoing battles over custody or child support. "It's like a soap opera," Cardone said, looking back on her terms in the 383rd and 388th districts and her time as an attorney in between. "You leave, you don't watch TV for a while, you turn the TV back on and it's all the same players."

Hoping to reduce those return trips, Cardone founded the El Paso County Domestic Relations Office, a county agency that assists the family courts. The office collects child support payments, monitors compliance, files motions for enforcement and employs probation officers to work with non-compliant parents. It also helps people who want to mediate rather than litigate and those who want to represent themselves in their divorces.

Although she misses her work with families, Cardone said her recent move to the federal bench offers insurance against career burnout. "It's fun to be doing something totally different, having to relearn a different part of my profession," she said. "I think when a door opens, you have to be willing to walk through it. You may find you're doing something you never expected to do, but you might love it just as much, if not more."