IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 785 
Recognizing the diaspora of Hispanic culture, and the representation of 
Hispanics in the legal profession and the judiciary. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 13, 2023 
Mr. SOTO (for himself, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. GARCI´A of Illi-
nois, Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. 
COSTA, Mr. CORREA, Ms. SALINAS, and Ms. ESCOBAR) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution 
OCTOBER 25, 2023 
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the diaspora of Hispanic culture, and the rep-
resentation of Hispanics in the legal profession and the 
judiciary. 
Whereas the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage 
Month every year during September and October to rec-
ognize and honor the achievements and contributions 
from people of the Hispanic diaspora throughout the his-
tory of the United States; 
Whereas Hispanics represent a diverse and heterogeneous ra-
cial, ethnic, and cultural group, with members hailing 
from many countries, including North America, Central 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:28 Oct 31, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR785.IH
HR785
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 785 IH 
America, South America, the Caribbean, and Spain, and 
representing all variations on the spectrum of race; 
Whereas Hispanics are the fastest growing community living 
in the United States, making up 18.7 percent of the 
United States population; 
Whereas Hispanics contribute to the society of the United 
States through working in many industries, including the 
legal profession; 
Whereas Hispanic lawyers are dedicated public servants, 
holding posts at the highest levels of State and Federal 
Government, including the Supreme Court of the United 
States, Cabinet-level positions, the United States Senate, 
and the United States House of Representatives; 
Whereas 5.8 percent of the 1,300,000 lawyers in the United 
States identify as Hispanic; 
Whereas the current enrollment of Hispanic students in law 
schools is 14 percent; 
Whereas the percentage of members of the bar who are His-
panic is less than 5 percent; 
Whereas Hispanic lawyers account for 2.9 percent of law firm 
partners; 
Whereas Hispanic lawyers only represent 7 percent of judicial 
appointments at the Federal and State judiciary through-
out history; 
Whereas Hispanics are largely underrepresented in the legal 
industry and within the Federal courts; 
Whereas tracking historical trends, the number of Hispanic 
appointments to Federal judgeships has shown a steady 
increase in the last 10 years; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:28 Oct 31, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR785.IH
HR785
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 785 IH 
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 current President Joseph Biden has appointed 27 
Hispanic Federal judges, including 5 Hispanic circuit 
court judges; 
Whereas Hispanics like the Honorable Justice Sonya 
Sotomayor, the first Puerto Rican woman to be ap-
pointed 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 orga-
nizations to address the lack of Hispanic/Latino rep-
resentation 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; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:28 Oct 31, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR785.IH
HR785
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 785 IH 
Whereas the success of Hispanic lawyers and judges has been 
championed by national organizations like UnidosUs, 
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund 
(MALDEF), National Association for Law Placement 
(NALP), Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), 
LatinoJustice PRLDEF, League of United Latin Amer-
ican Citizens (LULAC), National Association of Latino 
Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational 
Fund, and various other organizations; 
Whereas Hispanic representation in the legal profession has 
continued to influence the work of legal scholars across 
the United States; 
Whereas Manuel Ruiz is honored as the first Hispanic attor-
ney to argue before the United States Supreme Court in 
Buck v. California, 1951; 
Whereas the United States should continue to invest in the 
future of Hispanics to address the barriers that lead to 
becoming lawyers and judges; and 
Whereas recognizing Hispanic lawyers will bring awareness 
toward increasing the diversity within the legal industry, 
reflecting the American population: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes, celebrates, and honors the suc-
cess of Hispanic lawyers and judges and recognizes 
their past, present, and future contributions to the 
United States; and 
(2) supports the goals of increasing the rep-
resentation of Hispanics in the legal profession and 
the State and Federal courts to ensure that the rep-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:28 Oct 31, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR785.IH
HR785
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 785 IH 
resentation of Hispanics in the legal profession is re-
flective of the Hispanic population in the country. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:28 Oct 31, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR785.IH
HR785
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB