Recognizing October 15, 2024, as the day to honor the diaspora of Hispanic culture, and the representation of Hispanics in the legal profession and the judiciary.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1545 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1545

   Recognizing October 15, 2024, as the day to honor the diaspora of 
  Hispanic culture, and the representation of Hispanics in the legal 
                     profession and the judiciary.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 15, 2024

  Mr. Soto (for himself, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Crockett, Ms. Kuster, Mr. 
Vargas, Mr. Costa, Mr. Correa, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Espaillat, 
  Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Ramirez, and Ms. Velazquez) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing October 15, 2024, as the day to honor the diaspora of 
  Hispanic culture, and the representation of Hispanics in the legal 
                     profession and the judiciary.

Whereas the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month every year during 
        September and October to recognize and honor the achievements and 
        contributions from people of the Hispanic diaspora throughout the 
        history of the United States;
Whereas Hispanics represent a diverse and heterogeneous racial, ethnic, and 
        cultural group, with members hailing from many countries, including 
        North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Spain, 
        and representing all variations on the spectrum of race;
Whereas Hispanics are the fastest growing community living in the United States, 
        making up 19.5 percent of the United States population;
Whereas Hispanics contribute to the society of the United States through working 
        in many industries, including the legal profession;
Whereas some Hispanic lawyers are dedicated public servants, holding posts at 
        the highest levels of State and Federal Government, including the 
        Supreme Court of the United States, Cabinet-level positions, the United 
        States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives;
Whereas 13.7 percent of law students identify as Hispanic;
Whereas there are 5.9 percent Hispanic lawyers, judges, and related workers, of 
        the estimated 1,166,625 total lawyers, judges, and related workers, 
        nationwide;
Whereas, in 2022, 3 percent of partners at law firms were Hispanic lawyers;
Whereas 11.2 percent of the 76,000 judges, magistrates, and other judicial 
        workers employed in the United States are Hispanic;
Whereas, as of September 15, 2023, 14 of 172 active circuit court judges were 
        Hispanic, of whom 8 were men and 6 were women, and as of the same date, 
        of the 19 Hispanic men ever appointed as a circuit court judge, 8 were 
        serving as an active judge; in contrast, of the 7 Hispanic women ever 
        appointed as a circuit court judge, 6 were serving as an active judge;
Whereas the first Hispanic judge appointed to the Federal bench was the 
        Honorable Reynaldo G. Garza in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy;
Whereas President Jimmy Carter appointed 16 Hispanic judges to the bench, 
        including the Honorable Reynaldo G. Garza to the Fifth Circuit Court of 
        Appeals;
Whereas President Ronald Reagan appointed 14 Hispanic judges during his 
        Presidency;
Whereas President William J. Clinton appointed 25 Hispanic judges during his 
        Presidency;
Whereas President George W. Bush appointed 30 Hispanic judges during his 
        Presidency;
Whereas President Barack Obama appointed 37 Hispanic judges during his terms;
Whereas President Joseph Biden has appointed 35 Hispanic judges during his term;
Whereas, of the 40 circuit court nominees confirmed as of February 15, 2024, 
        during the Biden Presidency, 7 were Hispanic;
Whereas, as of September 15, 2023, President Biden has appointed the third-
        greatest number of Hispanic district court judges, with a total of 22, 
        and additionally, half of President Biden's Hispanic district court 
        appointees have been women, specifically, 14 (64 percent) of 22 
        appointees;
Whereas Hispanics like the Honorable Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Puerto 
        Rican woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court in 2009, worked her way 
        up the judicial system;
Whereas Hispanic lawyers and judges have been frequently recognized as 
        trailblazers;
Whereas there have been initiatives created by national organizations to address 
        the lack of Hispanic/Latino representation among United States law 
        school professors and administrators as well as the shortage of 
        professional development resources specifically for Hispanic/Latino 
        professors, deans, and other administrators;
Whereas the success of Hispanic lawyers and judges has been championed by 
        national organizations like UnidosUS, the Mexican American Legal Defense 
        and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Association for Law 
        Placement (NALP), the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), 
        LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the League of United Latin American Citizens 
        (LULAC), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed 
        Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, and various other organizations;
Whereas Hispanic representation in the legal profession has continued to 
        influence the work of legal scholars across the United States;
Whereas Manuel Ruiz is honored as the first Hispanic attorney to argue before 
        the United States Supreme Court in Buck v. California, 1951;
Whereas the United States should continue to invest in the future of Hispanics 
        to address the barriers that lead to becoming lawyers and judges; and
Whereas recognizing Hispanic lawyers will bring awareness toward increasing the 
        diversity within the legal industry, reflecting the United States 
        population: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes, celebrates, and honors the success of 
        Hispanic lawyers and judges and recognizes their past, present, 
        and future contributions to the United States; and
            (2) supports the goals of increasing the representation of 
        Hispanics in the legal profession and the State and Federal 
        courts to ensure that the representation of Hispanics in the 
        legal profession is reflective of the Hispanic population in 
        the country.
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