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R E S O L U T I O N
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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 opportunity to |
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recognize women judges for their invaluable work to advance the |
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administration of justice and the rule of law in our state; and |
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WHEREAS, Women judges in Texas have a storied history dating |
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back to 1925, when Hortense Sparks Ward, the first woman to pass the |
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Texas bar exam, along with Hattie Leah Henenberg and Ruth Virginia |
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Brazzil formed the first all-women high court in the United States; |
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the three women were appointed by Governor Pat Neff to serve as |
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special justices on a Texas Supreme Court case from which all of the |
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existing judges on the court had recused 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 to |
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make history again in 1961 as the first woman appointed to a federal |
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district judgeship in Texas, and she remains the only woman ever to |
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administer the oath of office to an American president, having |
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sworn in Lyndon Baines Johnson aboard Air Force One on November 22, |
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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 2005, |
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the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Antonio became the |
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first appellate court in the U.S. composed entirely of women, and in |
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2021, the court again had the distinction of being the only |
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all-women and now majority-Latina appellate court in the country; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the Texas Supreme Court includes three female |
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justices, Jane Bland, Rebecca Aizpuru Huddle, and Debra Lehrmann, |
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while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals includes four women, |
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Presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Judges Barbara Hervey, Mary Lou |
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Keel, and Michelle Slaughter; women currently represent 34 percent |
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of judges in all courts throughout Texas, as well as 43 percent of |
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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 fitting |
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that a special day be set aside to honor their immeasurable |
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contributions; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize April 24, 2023, as Texas Women Judges' Day at the |
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State Capitol and commend the women judges of the State of Texas for |
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their service and commitment to equal justice under the law. |