Meet the Honorable Reynaldo Guerra Garza, the first Mexican-American judge to be appointed to a federal court.  

Born in Texas in 1915, Garza earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin before going on to receive his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Texas School of Law. After completing his education in 1939, he went on to practice privately in his hometown of Brownsville, Texas.  

He had a momentary break while serving in the United States Air Forces during World War II. He returned to private practice following the end of the war until 1961 when President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the Court for the Southern District of Texas. This appointment made him the first Mexican-American federal judge in the United States.  

Following this appointment, he continued to have a long, successful career. He went on to be nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter. Owing to his hard work, Garza was asked to serve as the Attorney General of the United States—however, he turned the position down. Garza is one of the longest serving judges in the history of the United States with over 43 years of total combined service.  

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