SOURCE: MEXICAN AMERICAN ROOTS

The son of Mexican immigrants put on a federal judge's robe when no one who looked like him ever had.

Reynaldo G. Garza grew up in Brownsville, Texas, one of many children in a hardworking family, and became a lawyer and a pillar of his community. In 1961 President Kennedy appointed him to the federal bench, making him the first Mexican American United States federal district judge in the nation's history.

He was respected across party lines for his fairness and his humility, and he never forgot the barrio he came from. He later turned down a cabinet position, choosing instead to keep serving the people of South Texas he loved. He simply wanted to do the work well and open the door for those behind him.

Every Latino judge who followed walked through a door that Reynaldo Garza opened first.

Had you heard of the first Mexican American federal judge before today?