[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11181-S11182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF JUDGE JAMES DeANDA

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am saddened to inform you of the 
passing of Judge James DeAnda. I would like to take a few moments to 
recognize Judge DeAnda's many important accomplishments and the 
tremendous impact he made in protecting civil liberties.
  James DeAnda was born in Houston, TX, in 1925. The son of Mexican 
immigrants, DeAnda fought bravely as a marine for his country during 
World War II. Shortly after returning from war, at a time when only a 
small number of Latino students were enrolled in higher education, he 
returned to his studies and graduated from Texas A&M University and the 
University of Texas Law School. As an attorney, DeAnda fought for the 
rights of all Latinos through his work on cases dealing with 
segregation and threats to civil liberties. He also was a cofounder of 
the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, a nationwide nonprofit Latino 
litigation, advocacy and educational outreach institution.
  DeAnda became the second Mexican-American judge appointed to the 
Federal bench when he was confirmed in 1979. During his tenure, he 
served for 13 years with the U.S. District and Bankruptcy Court's 
Southern District of Texas including four as chief judge until his 
retirement in 1992. In more than a half century of service to the law, 
Judge DeAnda was involved with many cases. He is, however, best known 
for his efforts as the youngest member of a 4-person legal team that 
argued the Hernandez v. Texas case which was ultimately decided by the 
Supreme Court. The 1954 decision overturned the murder conviction of 
Pete Hernandez by an all-White jury and held that Latinos deserved the 
same constitutional protections as other minorities including the right 
to serve as jurors.
  I invite all of my colleagues to join me and the many mourning 
members of the legal, Latino, and civil liberties communities in 
recognizing and honoring Judge James DeAnda for his long

[[Page S11182]]

and distinguished service to our country. He is survived by his wife 
Joyce and 4 children.

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