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2 - Latinas and the Texas Judiciary

The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Judiciary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2018

Samantha L. Hernandez
Affiliation:
San Antonio City Council
Sharon A. Navarro
Affiliation:
University of Texas, San Antonio
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Summary

Sharon A. Navarro proposes that with the changing demographics in Texas and increasing population of Latinos, Texas should experience more Latinos in elected offices such as the judiciary. Navarro argues that the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender has created challenges for Latino men and Latina women as they have ascended to the intermediate courts of appeal in Texas. Navarro utilizes the standpoint theory to analyze the experiences of the Latina justices who agreed to be interviewed. She contends that political and institutional pressures have converged with race and gender to enable diversification of Texas’ intermediate courts of appeals. It should be noted that this diversification was not without its challenges. This study is important for understanding how a historically underrepresented group can become politically incorporated into a state’s judiciary. The findings suggest that Latino/a justices recognize and use their race/ethnic and gender identity to their advantage in political judicial appointments.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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