88R23925 BK-D
By: Zaffirini, et al. S.R. No. 451
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The observance of Texas Women Judges' Day at the
State Capitol on April 24, 2023, provides a welcome opportunity to
recognize women judges for their invaluable work to advance the
administration of justice and the rule of law in our state; and
WHEREAS, Women judges in Texas have a storied history dating
back to 1925, when Hortense Sparks Ward, the first woman to pass the
Texas bar exam, along with Hattie Leah Henenberg and Ruth Virginia
Brazzil formed the first all-women high court in the United States;
the three women were appointed by Governor Pat Neff to serve as
special justices on a Texas Supreme Court case from which all of the
existing judges on the court had recused themselves; and
WHEREAS, In 1935, Sarah Tilghman Hughes became the first
woman to hold a permanent position on a Texas bench; she went on to
make history again in 1961 as the first woman appointed to a federal
district judgeship in Texas, and she remains the only woman ever to
administer the oath of office to an American president, having
sworn in Lyndon Baines Johnson aboard Air Force One on November 22,
1963; and
WHEREAS, Among other notable trailblazers who have
contributed to the diversity of the Texas judiciary are Harriet
Mitchell Murphy, the first African American woman appointed to a
regular judgeship in Texas, Elma Salinas Ender, the first Latina
state district judge in Texas, and Wendy Duong, the first
Vietnamese American woman to serve as a judge in the state; in 2005,
the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Antonio became the
first appellate court in the U.S. composed entirely of women, and in
2021, the court again had the distinction of being the only
all-women and now majority-Latina appellate court in the country;
and
WHEREAS, Today, the Texas Supreme Court includes three female
justices, Jane Bland, Rebecca Aizpuru Huddle, and Debra Lehrmann,
while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals includes four women,
Presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Judges Barbara Hervey, Mary Lou
Keel, and Michelle Slaughter; women currently represent 34 percent
of judges in all courts throughout Texas, as well as 43 percent of
all state and district judges; and
WHEREAS, Women judges have brought inspiring dedication,
wisdom, and integrity to the bench, helping to make our judicial
system fairer and more just for all Texans, and it is indeed fitting
that a special day be set aside to honor their immeasurable
contributions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
hereby recognize April 24, 2023, as Texas Women Judges' Day at the
State Capitol and commend the women judges of the State of Texas for
their service and commitment to equal justice under the law.