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Content provided by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education. Visit the Division for Public Education's website to learn more about the law and its role in society (www.abanet.org/publiced). For more profiles of pioneers in the legal profession, visit the Division for Public Education's Raising the Bar: Pioneers in the Legal Profession website at www.abanet.org/publiced/raisingthebar.html.
Reynaldo G. Garza
1915-2004
1915-2004
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Reynaldo G. Garza was the first Mexican-American to serve as a federal district court judge and a federal appellate judge. A first-generation American, he was born on July 7, 1915 in Brownsville, Texas. His parents had moved across the border from Matamoros to escape civil unrest in Mexico. Over 8,000 of Brownsville's 10,000 residents were of Mexican descent, resulting in a bicultural lifestyle which insulated Hispanics from the racial discrimination prevalent throughout Texas at that time. Growing up, Garza was fascinated with tales of local trials, and began visiting the city courthouse. He soon decided he wanted to become a lawyer. Times were tough in the Depression, and to save money for tuition he had to work for two years as a laborer for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). He then enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, excelled in his studies, and ventured into social activities, expanding his circle to include people such as J.J. (Jake) Pickle, a West Texas native and future U.S. congressman, and John B. Connally, who would go on to become governor of Texas and a presidential hopeful. About this time, he became acquainted with Lyndon Johnson, who was running for Congress in a special election. "This tall, lanky young man knocked on my room while I was studying," recalls Garza in his biography, All Rise. Garza invited Johnson to attend a church bazaar with him that day. "I told him there would be a few hundred people out there, and I was going to have the microphone and I'd be glad to introduce him," Garza explains. No other politician had approached the Mexican-American community with concern about their issues before. When Johnson his congressional seat with support from the East Austin area, his friendship with Garza became a warm and lasting one. In 1939, Garza graduated from the University of Texas Law School and opened a law office in Brownsville. While a solo firm was financially risky for a new graduate, he was determined to practice law in his hometown among friends and family. After four years of Army service as a gunnery sergeant in World War II, he returned to Brownsville and became involved in civic activities and community organizations. His legal work gained the attention of the Anglo community, and he was invited to join the largest firm in town as a partner. Over the next decade and a half, he practiced commercial and insurance law, earning a reputation throughout Southern Texas. When John Kennedy took office after the 1960 elections, Garza was strongly recommended to fill a federal judicial vacancy by Texas leaders and by Vice President Lyndon Johnson and Kennedy's brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. When offered the position, Garza hesitated, knowing that the federal judge's salary was considerably less than his income as a practicing attorney. As the father of four children, he would have to cut back on expenses in order to send his children to college. But with his wife's support, he accepted the nomination and was soon confirmed by the Senate. Garza's new position included a tremendous backlog of cases that had been growing for two years. His exceptional legal skills, excellent work habits, and decisive nature helped eliminate the backlog quickly, and his efficiency was noted by those in Washington. "I've always said I hope I got the appointment because I was qualified, not because I was Mexican American," Garza notes. "But I knew I had to do a good job or else my actions would reflect not only my ability, but also that of other Mexican Americans." The overwhelming public attention and honor which followed his becoming the first Mexican American federal judge inspired many young Hispanics to pursue their own career goals, including a Brownsville junior high student, Juliet García, who would become the first Mexican American woman president of a university, and a young attorney in the city, Federico Peña, who was to become U.S. transportation secretary. "We saw the trail that he blazed," recalls Peña, "And it provided us with inspiration." Throughout the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, Judge Garza presided over many prominent civil rights cases, including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. International Longshoremen's Association, which challenged the tradition of having racially segregated unions. In a 1970 case, Judge Garza was appalled at the lack of respect for a student's rights when a Rio Valley school district suspended the student for distributing antiwar leaflets. In dealing with a particularly arduous case, Turner v. American Bar Association, Judge Garza was asked to sort out an antitrust suit filed by a radical group. While the heavy docket involved complex, evolving legal issues, Judge Garza found the cases exciting and his sharp legal skills guided his work. "He had a knack of cutting to the core of an issue," says a law clerk Ted Campagnolo. "He knew the law, he was intelligent, but he also knew how to apply all of that to the real world." In December, 1976, Jimmy Carter phoned Judge Garza asking him to join his cabinet as attorney general. Believing the call was a prank from his staff, the judge promptly hung up on the president-elect. Finally convinced that the offer was serious, Judge Garza carefully considered the honor, but later declined it since it would mean moving his family to Washington and giving up his work as a federal judge. In 1978, Garza was nominated by President Carter to serve on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Just three days after his 64th birthday, the Senate confirmed the appointment, making Judge Garza the first Mexican American to become a federal appellate court judge. In 1982, Judge Garza retired from active service, but continued to serve on the court with a reduced workload. Unlike many of his contemporaries on senior status, Judge Garza carried nearly a full workload. Judge Garza died on September 14, 2004. Reference: All Rise: Reynaldo G. Garza, the First Mexican American Federal Judge, by Louise Ann Fisch, copyright 1996, Texas A&M University Press. (Originally published in 2000. This article has been updated to include events occurring after 2000.) |
