EL PASO, TEXAS — Judge Ben Ivey still remembers the day his father handed him a fresh chile pepper on the family farm in Tornillo, Texas.
He was about five years old, and his father offered it to him as though it were candy.
Ivey took a bite.
The pepper was hot, the young boy was soon in tears, and his mother was none too pleased with his father’s practical joke.
Growing up in a fourth-generation West Texas farming family, Ivey learned early that life on the farm wasn’t always easy. He worked alongside the farmhands, learning firsthand the value of hard work, responsibility, and respect for others.
Those lessons would eventually follow him from Tornillo to the bench of El Paso County’s 120th Judicial District Court.
A Different Path
Ivey graduated from Cathedral High School before earning his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Texas Tech University.
His original plan was to stay in agriculture. Law school wasn’t even on his radar.
His father, however, had other ideas.
He encouraged Ivey to pursue a law degree, telling him he could do just about anything he wanted with one.
Ivey resisted at first, but eventually took his father’s advice, graduating from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2001.
What began as a reluctant career change turned into nearly 25 years in the legal profession.
Family and El Paso Roots
In 2007, Ivey married Claudia, a fellow Texas A&M graduate and CPA who serves as Senior Vice President of Tax at Hunt Companies.
They have three sons, all of whom have attended Cathedral High School.
Their oldest, Jack, graduated in 2025 and now attends the University of Texas at Austin — much to the good-natured chagrin of his Aggie parents. Reagan is a senior at Cathedral, and Charlie is a sophomore.
From Attorney to Judge
Ivey spent most of his legal career practicing criminal law, serving as both a prosecutor and defense attorney.
In May 2025, he was appointed Judge of the 120th Judicial District Court, where he now presides over criminal and civil cases.
He emphasizes fairness, timely rulings, and allowing attorneys to do their jobs. In July 2026, county records showed a 167% felony clearance rate and a 111% civil clearance rate for his court.
But for Ivey, serving the county where he grew up means more than statistics.
“I never imagined that a kid growing up on a farm in Tornillo would one day serve as a district judge in El Paso County. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly,” he said.
From working alongside farmhands to presiding over a district court, his surroundings have changed. But his West Texas roots remain.
And while that five-year-old boy might not have appreciated his father’s sense of humor, some things have changed.
These days, Judge Ivey puts green chile on just about anything he can.
Paid for By The Judge Ben Ivey Campaign
