Hernandez v. Texas 344 US 475 (1954) is an important case, "the first and only Mexican-American civil rights case heard and decided by the Supreme United States of America Court during the post-World War II period. "In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that Mexican Americans and all other national groups in the United States have equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. The verdict was written by Justice Earl Warren. This is the first case in which Mexican-American lawyers appear before the US Supreme Court.
Video Hernandez v. Texas
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Pedro Hernandez, a Mexican-American agricultural worker, was convicted of the 1951 murder of Joe Espinosa. Hernandez's pro bono legal teams, including Gustavo C. GarcÃÆ'a, want to challenge what they know is "the systematic exclusion of Mexicans from all kinds of jury duties in at least seventy counties in Texas." They appealed Hernandez's conviction based on the fact that Mexican America, a recognized minority in Texas, is treated as a class and subject to social discrimination in Jackson County, where the case has been tried. They are systematically excluded from the grand jury and jury. Defense lawyer Hernandez points out that, although many Mexican Americans are citizens and if they do not qualify for jury duties in Jackson County, for 25 years previously no Mexican Americans (or, more accurately, no people with Hispanic surnames) are among 6,000 people chosen to serve on the jury.
This resulted in Hernandez being deprived of the same legal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment, as the jury was limited by ethnicity. Hernandez and his lawyers appealed to the Texas Supreme Court. They appealed to the United States Supreme Court through a certiorari statement. Legal teams include GarcÃÆ'a, Carlos C. Cadena and John J. Herrera from the Latin American League of Americans, and James DeAnda and Cris Alderete from Forum G. I., both groups of activists for civil rights for Mexican Americans. This is the first Mexican-American attorney to represent the defendant before the US Supreme Court, who heard their argument on January 11, 1954.
Maps Hernandez v. Texas
Order
Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren and the rest of the Supreme Court unanimously voted in favor of Hernandez, and required him to be tried by a jury drafted without discrimination against Mexican Americans. The court stated that the Fourteenth Amendment protects people outside the class of white or black race, and extends the protection of national groups as well.
Influence
The ruling is an extension of protection within the Civil Rights Movement to minority groups within the country and the recognition that, at certain times and places, groups other than blacks (African-Americans) may be discriminated against. The final effect of this ruling is that the protection of the 14th Amendment is governed to include any national or ethnic group in the United States that can be proven to be discriminatory.
The oral argument from this case has been lost. However, the US Supreme Court papers and a letter from Judge Clark to the Chief Justice on joining opinions are available online.
See also
- List of US Supreme Court cases, vol. 347
- Court jury
References
Further reading
- Soltero, Carlos R. (2006). " Hernandez v. Texas (1954) and the exception of the Mexican-American and grand jury". Latin and American Law: Landmark Case of the Supreme Court . Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. pp.Ã, 37-47. ISBN: 0-292-71411-4.
- Olivas, Michael A., ed. (2006). "Colored Men" and "hombres aquÃÆ'" Ã,: HernÃÆ'¡ndez v. Texas and Emerging Mexican-American Lawyers . Series Hispanic Civil Rights. Preface by Mark Tushnet. Houston, TX: Arte PÃÆ'ºblico Press. ISBN: 1-55885-476-2. OCLCÃ, 64592184.
External links
- The case of Hernandez v. State of Texas , archives of the University of Texas School of Law
- HernÃÆ'¡ndez v. Texas State of the Texas Online Handbook
- A Separate Class, American Experience, PBS - A prominent civil rights case. The lesser known story of American Mexican lawyers taking Hernandez v. Texas to the Supreme Court, challenging Jim Crow's discrimination. It aired on PBS on February 23, 2009.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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