[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING THE LATE JUDGE JAMES deANDA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2006

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, the Nation mourns the passing of WWII 
veteran and legal giant, retired U.S. District Judge James deAnda, who 
died on Thursday, September 7, 2006 at the age of 81. His life-long 
dedication to the protection of Americans has made him an icon in the 
legal profession and a pioneer of the American civil rights movement.
  Born in Houston, Texas to parents who immigrated from Mexico, Judge 
deAnda was one of the first Mexican American attorneys to argue before 
the U.S. Supreme Court. In arguing Hernandez v. Texas, a companion case 
to Brown v. Board of Education, before the Court in 1954, Judge deAnda 
earned a major victory for all Americans when the Court voted to 
overturn an all-white jury's conviction of a Mexican-American 
defendant. The Supreme Court held that prejudice and discrimination 
against Mexican Americans in Texas was so pervasive that the conviction 
had not been determined by a jury of his peers.
  In 1968, deAnda again went before the Supreme Court in the case of 
Cisneros v. Corpus Christi lSD. This case led to the desegregation and 
increased funding of schools in that city. That same year, he co-
founded the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, 
MALDEF, which continues to serve as a legal advocate for the Hispanic 
community and as a promoter of Hispanic empowerment.
  In 1979, after decades of practicing law, Judge deAnda received an 
appointment from former President Jimmy Carter to serve as a federal 
judge in the Southern District of Texas; he was subsequently confirmed 
and became the nation's second Mexican-American federal district judge.
  Remarking upon the passing of a MALDEF co-founder, current MALDEF 
interim President and General Counsel John Trasvina noted, ``Judge 
deAnda was a treasure of immense proportion to Texas, Mexican-Americans 
everywhere, and to the United States. In dangerous and difficult times, 
he and other Mexican American lawyers worked tirelessly to defend our 
communities' interests. We are all in his debt.''
  Judge deAnda is indeed an inspiration to the Hispanic and non-
Hispanic community, and a positive example to the many who will 
continue to stand on his shoulders for generations to come.

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