Carlos Cadena
Encyclopedia
Carlos C. Cadena was a Mexican American
lawyer
, civil rights activist and judge
based in San Antonio
, Texas
.
Carlos Cristian Cadena, the son of Mexican immigrants, was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1917 and attended Catholic school. He earned his LL.B. degree from the University of Texas
Law School in 1940, serving as editor of the Texas Law Review and graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Cadena's long legal career was interrupted only by a term as a radio
operator in the US Army Air Forces during World War II
. In his early years he worked as assistant city attorney (and later city attorney) for San Antonio, was partner in a law firm, and taught law at St. Mary's University
in San Antonio. Cadena, a father of one, married Gloria Villa Galvan, a young war widow with eight children. Together they raised their nine children.
Cadena worked with fellow attorney Gus Garcia
in the landmark case Hernández v. Texas
(1954), arguing before the US Supreme Court for the end of a practice of systematic exclusion of Hispanic
s from jury service in Jackson County, Texas. Even though Mexican-Americans composed more than 10% of the county's population, no person of Mexican ancestry had served on a jury there in over 25 years. The high court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren
, ruled that United States citizens could not be excluded from jury duty based on national origin, because such exclusion denied the accused a jury of his peers.
Cadena returned to the law faculty at St. Mary's from 1961 until 1965, when Texas governor John Connolly appointed him an associate justice on the 4th Court of Appeals
, the first Mexican American to hold such a high ranking. He was named the Court's chief justice in 1977 by then-governor Dolph Briscoe
and held that position until his retirement in 1990 after 25 years on the bench. He continued to serve part time as a senior appellate justice, as well as acting of counsel to the San Antonio law firm of Charles A. Nicholson, until his death from lung cancer in 2001. Cadena was survived by his wife and nine children.
Cadena received many state and national awards during his more than fifty years of legal practice. One of the University of Texas Law School's societies is named in his honor. In February 2009 the Public Broadcasting System showed a program A Class Apart, centering on the Hernandez case and its social implications for Mexican Americans.
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, civil rights activist and judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
based in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Carlos Cristian Cadena, the son of Mexican immigrants, was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1917 and attended Catholic school. He earned his LL.B. degree from the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
Law School in 1940, serving as editor of the Texas Law Review and graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Cadena's long legal career was interrupted only by a term as a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
operator in the US Army Air Forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In his early years he worked as assistant city attorney (and later city attorney) for San Antonio, was partner in a law firm, and taught law at St. Mary's University
St. Mary's University, Texas
St. Mary's University is a Catholic and Marianist liberal arts institution located on northwest of downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. St. Mary’s is a nationally recognized master’s level school ranked among the top colleges in the west for best value and academic reputation by U.S. News...
in San Antonio. Cadena, a father of one, married Gloria Villa Galvan, a young war widow with eight children. Together they raised their nine children.
Cadena worked with fellow attorney Gus Garcia
Gustavo C. Garcia
Gustavo "Gus" C. Garcia was a Mexican-American civil rights attorney.Garcia worked with fellow attorney Carlos Cadena in the landmark case Hernández v. Texas , arguing before the US Supreme Court for the end of a practice of systematic exclusion of Hispanics from jury service in Jackson County,...
in the landmark case Hernández v. Texas
Hernandez v. Texas
Hernandez v. Texas, 347 U.S. 475 , was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that decided that Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution....
(1954), arguing before the US Supreme Court for the end of a practice of systematic exclusion of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
s from jury service in Jackson County, Texas. Even though Mexican-Americans composed more than 10% of the county's population, no person of Mexican ancestry had served on a jury there in over 25 years. The high court, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren
Earl Warren
Earl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
, ruled that United States citizens could not be excluded from jury duty based on national origin, because such exclusion denied the accused a jury of his peers.
Cadena returned to the law faculty at St. Mary's from 1961 until 1965, when Texas governor John Connolly appointed him an associate justice on the 4th Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals
A court of appeals is an appellate court generally.Court of Appeals may refer to:*Military Court of Appeals *Corte d'Assise d'Appello *Philippine Court of Appeals*High Court of Appeals of Turkey*United States courts of appeals...
, the first Mexican American to hold such a high ranking. He was named the Court's chief justice in 1977 by then-governor Dolph Briscoe
Dolph Briscoe
Dolph Briscoe, Jr. was a Uvalde, Texas rancher and businessman who was the 41st Governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979....
and held that position until his retirement in 1990 after 25 years on the bench. He continued to serve part time as a senior appellate justice, as well as acting of counsel to the San Antonio law firm of Charles A. Nicholson, until his death from lung cancer in 2001. Cadena was survived by his wife and nine children.
Cadena received many state and national awards during his more than fifty years of legal practice. One of the University of Texas Law School's societies is named in his honor. In February 2009 the Public Broadcasting System showed a program A Class Apart, centering on the Hernandez case and its social implications for Mexican Americans.
External links
. Accessed February 25, 2009.- Texas House Resolution Honoring Carlos Cadena
- Hispanic Vista article on Carlos Cadena, Gus Garcia and their civil rights efforts
- American ExperienceAmerican ExperienceAmerican Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
episode A Class Apart - Aired on PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
on February 23, 2009.