Winner of the American Association for State and Local History’s Excellence in History Award Columns Leads Features Message from the President Injustice: Racial Violence against The Texas Latinx Lawyer Report Card By Cynthia K. Timms Mexican Americans on the Texas Border By Luz E. Herrera This Journal edition Although almost one in By Monica continues the Society’s four Texans are Latinx Muñoz Martinez exploration of civil the latest Texas State The early decades of rights issues, this Bar demographics tell the twentieth century time focusing on us that only one in 10 of proved to be an era the struggles and its attorneys are Latinx. Cynthia K. Timms of widespread anti- contributions of the Read more... Mexican violence in the Latinx community. Read more... Antonio American southwest Rodriguez was removed from and in Texas in Edwards County The Lost Law Schools of Texas Executive Director’s Page particular. Read more... Jail and lynched. By Hon. John G. Browning By Sharon Sandle and Josiah M. Daniel, III The simple act of The Unbearable Whiteness of Being: With the Lone Star State admitting evidence now boasting ten law and making a record In Re Rodriguez, Race, and Citizenship schools, it may be hard allows later generations By Hon. John G. Browning to imagine a time when to remember what Rodriguez’s citizenship there were few prospects in Texas for obtaining a happened and even Sharon Sandle application and the A newspaper ad reconsider that record court’s ultimate decision formal legal education. for Somerville from a new perspective. Read more... would hold tremendous Read more... Law School implications, not only for immigrants but Fellows Column Ricardo Justice Delayed, But Not Denied: for the thousands of Rodriguez’ mark By David J. Beck Mexican Americans in on his application Texas Supreme Court Grants Historic The Fellows are a critical Texas. Read more... to become a U.S. part of the annual citizen Posthumous Bar Admission fundraising and allow By Hon. John G. Browning the Society to undertake A Profile of Roy R. Barrera, Sr. In October, Texas became only the new projects. By Judge Xavier Rodriguez sixth state to grant posthumous Read more... David J. Beck A skilled criminal bar admission to a person of color defense attorney, Roy who’d been denied entry to the legal Barrera Sr.’s style has profession on racial grounds. Editor-in-Chief’s Column been described as Read more... By Hon. John G. Browning shifting one’s attention The contributions from the “vicious acts made by Texans of of the crime into one of Roy R. Barrera, Sr. in 1969 Latinx heritage and sympathy…” the adversity they Read more... faced in securing and safeguarding their civil rights have been among John G. Browning our state history’s most overlooked, least understood chapters. Read more... Book Review News & Announcements The Injustice Never Leaves You: Justice Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle TSHA Annual Meeting 2021 Joins the Court By David A. Furlow Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas The Society is proud By Macey Reasoner Stokes Book review by Hon. John G. Browning to participate in a On October 30, 2020, Monica Muñoz Martinez special panel program, Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle provides a meticulous “Account-Ability in Court: was sworn in by documentation of From Slavery to Scandal,” Governor Greg Abbott how law enforcement at the Texas State as the newest member TSHA logo agencies like the Texas Historical Association of the Texas Supreme Rangers and vigilante 2021 Annual Meeting. Read more... groups facilitated Court. Read more... Justice Rebeca Huddle violence against Mexican Americans In Memoriam: Hemphill Dinner 2021 in Texas during the early twentieth Speaker Announcement century. Read more... Thomas M. Reavley, 1921-2020 The Society is honored By Bryan A. Garner to be hosting Lisa S. Chief Justice Joe Blatt as its keynote Greenhill called Tom speaker for the annual Reavley “one of the Hemphill Dinner at the ablest judges ever to Four Seasons hotel in serve on this bench.” Austin on September 3, Lisa S. Blatt Read more... Judge Tom Reavley 2021. Read more... @SCOTXHistSocy Membership & More FB: Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Officers, Trustees & Court Liaison © 2021 Texas Supreme Court Historical Society 2020-21 Membership Upgrades 2020-21 New Member List Join the Society Message from the President Cynthia K. Timms lthough I majored in chemical engineering, I allowed myself, each semester, one Ainteresting class: a class that did not involve numbers and equations. Among those classes, I took a humanities course during which we studied a mixture of writings, both secular and religious. One day the professor asked a question: “Why would a caring, all-powerful God allow people to suffer?” He awaited an answer. As was typical of most college classes, there was no rush of students yearning to provide a response. Awkward silence oppressed the room. Each person waited for someone else, anyone else, to attempt to explain God’s earthly motivations. The professor asked the question again. This was not a rhetorical exercise; he wanted an answer. As I watched him, I realized he was not asking this to provoke a scholarly debate; he was asking this for himself. He was a widower, and the loss still gnawed at his soul. More than wanting an answer to this question, he needed an answer to this question. A student gingerly raised her hand into the air. “I cannot say why God allows people to suffer,” she started. “But I have noticed that it is during times of difficulty and pain that I appear to grow. Life is more enjoyable when things are easy, but I tend to stagnate during those times.” The professor looked at the student, contemplating her thoughts on the subject. Eventually he nodded, and class continued. That student’s observations are echoed in the words of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor: There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths. Justice Sotomayor knows something about adversity. She grew up with poverty, type I diabetes, and her father’s alcoholism and early death. Her natural optimism and tenacity enabled her to discover her strength amidst a world of adversity. In her memoir, “My Beloved World,” she revealed the richness of experiences—both good and bad—that molded her into the person who would be the first Latina to serve on the United States Supreme Court. 1 This Journal edition continues the Society’s exploration of civil rights issues, this time focusing on the struggles and contributions of the Latinx community. Once again, the Society has to thank John Browning (Editor-in-Chief) and Stephen Pate (Executive Articles Editor) for their editing work. We are fortunate to feature contributions from Judge Xavier Rodriguez, John Browning, Prof. Monica Munoz Martinez, and Prof. Luz Herrera. Bryan Garner has authored a memorial on the life of the late Judge Thomas Reavley. Once again, the Journal is published with the excellent assistance of managing editor Karen Patton, editor Kevin Carlsen, and production manager and graphic designer, David Kroll. The work of the Society is progressing on many fronts, including: • The Society is sponsoring a presentation on March 6, 2021 from 12:00-12:45 pm at the Texas State Historical Association’s Annual Meeting. The Society’s joint session with TSHA is titled: “Account-Ability in Court: From Slavery to Scandal.” We will be presenting two excellent lectures: (1) Daina Ramey Berry, University of Texas at Austin, “Improper Intimacy:” Slavery & Infidelity in Montgomery County, Texas; and (2) Stephen Pate, Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight! Wurzbach vs. McCloskey—Scandal in a 1928 Texas Congressional Election. David Keltner will present commentary on the two lectures. Due to the pandemic, the TSHA Annual Meeting will be taking place online. The complete schedule can be found by clicking here. You can register by clicking here. The Annual Meeting begins on Wednesday, March 3 and wraps in the afternoon of Saturday, March 6. • We have already lined up our speaker for the 2021 Hemphill Dinner in Austin, which we are hoping to conduct in person on September 3, 2021. Our speaker is Lisa Blatt of Williams & Connolly in Washington D.C. Lisa is a top United States Supreme Court practitioner, having had 40 arguments before the Court and having won 37 of those cases. Following her graduation from the University of Texas Law School, Lisa clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when Justice Ginsburg was a judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Lisa will discuss the life and career of Justice Ginsburg. • It is time to renew your membership. Your membership funds the Society’s many ongoing projects, including sponsoring books and publications on the history of Texas courts, attorneys, and judges; educating elementary school children on the history of courts in Texas; publication of the Society’s award-winning Journal every quarter; maintaining judicial portraits; and contributing to other historical organizations such as the Texas State Historical Society. To become a member or renew your membership, you can click here. • To keep up with our ongoing activities, check us out on social media. We are on Facebook and on Twitter @SCOTXHistSocy. Enjoy reading our Journal. And remember the words of David McCollough: “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” Return to Journal Index 2 Executive Director’s Page The Past We Step Into: Recognizing the Importance of the Historical Record in Uncertain Times Sharon Sandle ow do you know what to believe? All too often we hear this question asked, often Hin reaction to a media item.