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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 451
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WHEREAS, The observance of Texas Women Judges' Day at the |
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State Capitol on April 24, 2023, provides a welcome |
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opportunity to recognize women judges for their invaluable |
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work to advance the administration of justice and the rule of |
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law in our state; and |
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WHEREAS, Women judges in Texas have a storied history |
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dating back to 1925, when Hortense Sparks Ward, the first woman |
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to pass the Texas bar exam, along with Hattie Leah Henenberg and |
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Ruth Virginia Brazzil formed the first all-women high court in |
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the United States; the three women were appointed by Governor Pat |
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Neff to serve as special justices on a Texas Supreme Court case |
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from which all of the existing judges on the court had recused |
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themselves; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1935, Sarah Tilghman Hughes became the first |
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woman to hold a permanent position on a Texas bench; she went on |
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to make history again in 1961 as the first woman appointed to a |
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federal district judgeship in Texas, and she remains the only |
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woman ever to administer the oath of office to an American |
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president, having sworn in Lyndon Baines Johnson aboard Air Force |
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One on November 22, 1963; and |
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WHEREAS, Among other notable trailblazers who have |
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contributed to the diversity of the Texas judiciary are Harriet |
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Mitchell Murphy, the first African American woman appointed to a |
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regular judgeship in Texas, Elma Salinas Ender, the first Latina |
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state district judge in Texas, and Wendy Duong, the first |
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Vietnamese American woman to serve as a judge in the state; in |
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2005, the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Antonio |
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became the first appellate court in the U.S. composed entirely of |
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women, and in 2021, the court again had the distinction of being |
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the only all-women and now majority-Latina appellate court in the |
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country; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the Texas Supreme Court includes three |
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female justices, Jane Bland, Rebecca Aizpuru Huddle, and Debra |
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Lehrmann, while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals includes four |
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women, Presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Judges Barbara Hervey, |
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Mary Lou Keel, and Michelle Slaughter; women currently represent |
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34 percent of judges in all courts throughout Texas, as well as 43 |
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percent of all state and district judges; and |
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WHEREAS, Women judges have brought inspiring dedication, |
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wisdom, and integrity to the bench, helping to make our judicial |
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system fairer and more just for all Texans, and it is indeed |
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fitting that a special day be set aside to honor their |
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immeasurable contributions; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize April 24, 2023, as Texas Women |
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Judges' Day at the State Capitol and commend the women judges |
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of the State of Texas for their service and commitment to equal |
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justice under the law. |
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Zaffirini |
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| Alvarado |
Hinojosa |
Menéndez |
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| Birdwell |
Huffman |
Middleton |
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| Gutierrez |
LaMantia |
Whitmire |
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Patrick, President of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on April 24, 2023. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |