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Cruz Reynoso School of Law Recipient 2001-2002 Professor Cruz Reynoso holds the Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality at the UC Davis School of Law. In the words of his nominator, his career is "a testament to his deep and enduring commitment to public service." He has made significant contributions to the nation, state, and community through decades of distinguished public service. He is seen by many as the Latino equivalent of the late United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and is nothing less than an icon in the national civil rights community. One of the leading Chicano civil rights advocates of his generation, Professor Reynoso first gained national recognition fighting for the rights of the rural poor with California Rural Legal Assistance. After serving as a jurist with the Third District Court of Appeal for California, Reynoso rose to become the first Latino Justice on the California Supreme Court, serving from 1982 to 1987. Since 1993, Reynoso has been a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and in 1994 he was named vice chair of the Commission by President Clinton. The Commission investigates serious civil rights matters throughout the nation including the Florida Presidential voting debacle of 2000. As a commissioner, Professor Reynoso investigates civil rights violations across the United States and require him to travel extensively, including to Washington D.C. at least once a month. His record of national, state, and community public service is extensive. He previously was elected by President Jimmy Carter to the Select Commission of Immigration and Refugee Policy. He served as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and on the California Post-Secondary Commission. He is also a past member of the State Bar of California Commission on the Future of the Legal Profession and the State Bar, and past chair and member of the American Bar Association Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities. He is a frequent contributor to campus and community programs on civil rights and immigration issues. In 2000, President Clinton awarded Professor Reynoso the Presidential of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor for leaders who “have helped America to achieve freedom.” |
