Recognizing the diaspora of Hispanic culture, and the representation of Hispanics in the legal profession and the judiciary.

Bill: 118-hres-785
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]
Introduced: 2023-10-13
Policy area: Law
Latest action: action_date: 2023-10-25
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-10-13
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution recognizes, celebrates, and honors the success of Hispanic lawyers and judges. The resolution also supports the goals of increasing the representation of Hispanics in the legal profession and the state and federal courts.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 785 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 13, 2023 Mr. Soto (for himself, Ms. Crockett , Ms. Barragán , Mr. García of Illinois , Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas , Ms. Kuster , Mr. Vargas , Mr. Costa , Mr. Correa , Ms. Salinas , and Ms. Escobar ) submitted the following resolution October 25, 2023 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Recognizing 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 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 Hispanic 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 throughout 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; 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 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, 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 American 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 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 American population: Now, therefore, be it

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.