Dr. King once stated, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?' ” Each year, Americans answer that question by working together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to serve their neighbors and communities. We at the Harris County Law Library are committed to serving the residents of Harris County by meeting their legal information needs and by providing open and equal access to justice for all.
Read moreTrans Legal Aid Clinic Houston: November 19 & 21, 2020
For the transgender community, updating one's identification and other legal documents is an important and necessary step to achieving a complete transition. Finding the right resources to help transgender individuals navigate the Texas court system can be a challenge. Fortunately, Houston has a vibrant and supportive LGBTQ+ community, providing access to organizations such as the Montrose Center, which partners with the Trans Legal Aid Clinic to offer services to transgender individuals seeking to change their names and/or gender markers on their legal documents.
The Trans Legal Aid Clinic Houston will be hosting two virtual clinics next week on Thursday, November 19, at 6:00 pm and on Saturday, November 21, at 10:00 am. Additional details are available on the Clinic’s Facebook page, where you will also find a link to the Intake Form required for registration. All assistance is provided for free, and funds are available for those who need help in getting the proper documents needed to file.
For additional resources useful to the transgender community in Texas, please read our previous blog posts on this topic.
It's Election Day!
“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.”
"Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it."
Today is Election Day. If you didn’t already cast your ballot during the early voting period, this is your final chance to make your mark. To help you #makeaplan and get to the polls, we call your attention to the following online initiatives. The websites linked below are designed to increase turn-out at the polls and to ensure a positive voting experience for all of the electorate.
For your best source of voting information in Harris County (and to download a sample ballot), visit HarrisVotes.org, a service of the Harris County Clerk’s Election Division, whose commitment to S.A.F.E. voting will ensure a Secure, Accessible, Fair, and Efficient voting experience for all.
National Pro Bono Week, October 25-31
The 2020 celebration of National Pro Bono Week takes place October 25-31. Legal organizations across the country have organized events to raise awareness of the need for pro bono services and to celebrate the initiatives of those engaged in pro bono legal work. For a list of National Pro Bono Week events, please visit the sites below.
Pro Bono Week — ProBonoTexas.org
Celebrate Pro Bono — Probono.net
Celebrate Pro Bono — American Bar Association
Pro Bono Week — Taproot
Houston Bar Association Events
Houston Pro Bono: A Call to Action — Houston Volunteer Lawyers (October 27, 12:00 pm, MCLE: 1.0 hour & Ethics: 0.5) Click here to register.
Join Justice Jane Bland, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Monica Karuturi, Jeff Kaplan, Kelly Rose, Michael Donaldson, Bill Kroger, Mindy Davidson, and Anne Chandler in this call to action to ensure all Houstonians are able to access justice
If you are a licensed Texas attorney and would like to volunteer to provide pro bono services, contact the Houston Volunteer Lawyers or visit HVL online.
Hispanic and Latinx Lawyers You Should Know
Today is the final day of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and we are highlighting prominent attorneys of Hispanic or Latin American heritage. “According to statistics from the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA),” NBC News reports, “Hispanics – who are 18 percent of the population – comprise about 4 percent of U.S. lawyers. For Latinas, these numbers are even smaller; Latinas account for less than 2 percent of American lawyers.” Though these terms are sometimes used as if they were synonyms, “Hispanic” refers to descendants of Spanish speaking populations, whereas “Latina/o/x” refers to descendants of any Latin American population.
Ted Cruz is not only a United States Senator from Texas, but by any measure he is also one of the most accomplished attorneys in the United States. A Cuban American, and a Houstonian from his youth, Cruz earned his JD at Harvard Law, where he was a Primary Editor of the Harvard Law Review, and was a founding General Editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review. Cruz clerked for a time after graduation, culminating in a year clerking for Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He was the first Hispanic clerk to a Chief Justice in history. Still in his 20s, Cruz entered private practice while becoming known as a rising star in conservative politics. In the year 2000, he served as an advisor to then-Presidential-candidate George W. Bush. In 2003, he became Texas Solicitor General, and over the five years in that role argued an incredible eight cases before the Supreme Court. After another stint in private practice, Cruz was elected Senator in 2013, and re-elected in 2017. He has spent his time in that body spearheading the fight to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and passionately championing various conservative causes.
Sonia Sotomayor comes from the other side of the country and, as an Obama appointee, the other side of the political spectrum. Raised in the Bronx, she is of Puerto Rican descent. Like Senator Cruz, Justice Sotomayor earned her Bachelor’s degree at Princeton University. She obtained her JD from Yale Law, where she served as an Editor on the Yale Law Journal and co-chaired the Latin and Native American Students Association. Upon graduation, she was hired on as an Assistant District Attorney for the Manhattan District in New York, then entered private practice five years later as an intellectual property attorney. Sotomayor was appointed to the Federal bench by President George H. W. Bush in 1991, where she gained notoriety as the judge who saved Major League Baseball in 1995. In 1997, she was appointed to the Second Circuit by President Clinton, and then to the Supreme Court by President Obama in 2009.
Sandra Guerra Thompson is the Newell H. Blakely Professor in Law and Director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center, a powerhouse in the Houston legal scene, and one of the most prominent figures in American criminal justice reform. A native of Laredo, like Senator Cruz and Justice Sotomayor she is a double Ivy League graduate; she obtained both her Bachelors and her JD from Yale. Then-Mayor-of-Houston Annise Parker appointed her as a founding Director on the Board of the Houston Forensic Science Center. Professor Thompson is an elected member of the American Law Institute, and took a high profile role in the fight for bail reform here in Harris County. Recently, she has been at the forefront of the movement to raise accountability for law enforcement involved in shootings. This past Tuesday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner presented her with the Hispanic Heritage Education in the Community Award.
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