National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15th. This blog discusses notable cases and figures that feature Hispanics. The commemoration for National Hispanic Heritage Month originally began as a weeklong celebration in 1968 with Pub. L. No. 90-498.
In 1998, the observance was increased from a week to a month with Pub. L. No. 100-402. National Hispanic Heritage Month commemorates the contributions of American citizens with ancestral ties to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. This observation period also contains several countries’ anniversaries of independence.
Texas Public School Financing System
San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 1 (1973)
Lee, R., photographer. (1939) Entrance to Mexican house. San Antonio, Texas. United States Texas Bexar County San Antonio, 1939. Mar. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017782476/.
Generally, a portion of a public school’s funding comes from the taxes of those living in the district. In the San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez trial brief, Dr. Jose Cardenas, Superintendent of Edgewood ISD, cited a study A Tale of Two Districts, which described differences in services for children among school districts in San Antonio. One statistic compared the ratio of library books per student from North East ISD (9.42) to the same ratio for Edgewood ISD (3.9), demonstrating that students in Hispanic-majority public school districts were disadvantaged in their right to an education.
The U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with determining if San Antonio ISD’s financing system violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. The plaintiffs, comprised of Edgewood Concerned Parent Association members, claimed a violation of their children’s right to an education. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the San Antonio ISD’s financing system did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment.
“In sum, to the extent that the Texas system of school financing results in unequal expenditures between children who happen to reside in different districts, we cannot say that such disparities are the product of a system that is so irrational as to be invidiously discriminatory.”
Although the United States Supreme Court held that disparities in school funding did not produce unequal access to education for San Antonio’s Bexar County residents in 1973, the Texas Supreme Court arrived at a different conclusion in a similar case, 16 years later, when a dedicated group of active parents and community members sought justice and prevailed in Edgewood ISD v. Kirby.
Dr. William N. Kirby
April 13, 1985 – Jan. 31, 1991
Nov. 1, 1984 – April 12, 1985 (Interim)
Edgewood ISD v. Kirby, 777 S.W.2d 391 (TX 1989)
Edgewood Independent School District, along with several concerned parents and members of nearby school districts, filed a lawsuit against Texas Commissioner of Education William Kirby. The plaintiffs argued that the financing system violated their rights under the Texas Constitution. The Supreme Court of Texas held that the financing system violated Article I, Sections 3 and 19, and Article VII, Section 1.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Justice Sotomayor earned her JD from Yale Law. Sotomayor was appointed to the Federal bench by President George H. W. Bush in 1991. In 2009, she was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Obama. Justice Sotomayor is the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.
Senator Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz graduated from Harvard Law School and has dedicated his life to public service. In 2012, he became the first Texas Senator of Hispanic descent. He ran for President in the 2016 Republican primary but lost the nomination. He was reelected as a Senator in 2018.
National Bar Associations
State and Local Bar Associations