List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Arizona

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Arizona. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are other distinctions, such as the first minority men in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Arizona's history

Raúl Héctor Castro: First Mexican American male to serve as a superior court judge in Arizona (1959)

John Lopez IV: First Latino American male justice of the Arizona Supreme Court (2016)

Raner Collins (1975): First African American male to serve as chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona (2013)

Lawyers

First African American men: William Watkins (1921)^[1]^[2] and Hayzel Burton Daniels (1948)^[3]^[4]
First Hispanic American man: Joseph C. Padilla (1936)^[5]
First Asian American man: Wing F. Ong (1943):^[6]^[7]
First Native American (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) man: Lawrence Huerta (1953)^[3]
First Native American (Gila River Indian Community) man: Rodney B. Lewis (1972)^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]
First undocumented man: Daniel Rodriguez in 2014^[12]

State judges

First Jewish American man: Charles C. Bernstein (1929) in 1946^[7]
First Mexican American man (Superior Court of Arizona): Raúl Héctor Castro (1949) in 1959^[13]^[14]^[15]
First Jewish American man (Supreme Court of Arizona; chief justice): Charles C. Bernstein (1929) in 1962^[7]^[16]
First Asian American man (Superior Court):^[17]^[18] Thomas Tang in 1962
First African American man: Hayzel Burton Daniels (1948) in 1965^[3]^[4]
First Hispanic American man (Arizona Appeals Court): Joe W. Contreras in 1979^[19]
First African American man (Arizona Appeals Court): Cecil B. Patterson Jr. (1971) in 1985^[3]^[20]^[19]
First Latino American man (Supreme Court of Arizona): John Lopez IV (1998) in 2016^[21]

Federal judges

First Asian American man (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Arizona): Thomas Tang (1950) in 1977^[3]^[22]
First Hispanic American man (U.S. District Court): Valdemar Aguirre Cordova (1950) in 1979^[3] ^[23]
First African American man (chief judge; U.S. District Court): Raner Collins (1975) in 2013^[24]
First Asian American man (Article III judge; U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona): Sharad H. Desai in 2024^[25]

Attorney general of Arizona

First African American man (counsel at the Arizona Attorney General's Office): Cecil B. Patterson Jr. (1971)^[3]^[20]
First Jewish American man: Tom Horne (1970) 2011-2015^[26]

Assistant attorneys general

First Hispanic American man: Albert García (1937)^[27]^[7]
First African American man: Hayzel Burton Daniels (1948)^[3]^[4]

County attorney

First Mexican American man: Raúl Héctor Castro (1949) 1954-1959^[13]^[14]^[15]

Political office

First Mexican American man (governor of Arizona): Raúl Héctor Castro (1949) 1975-1977^[13]^[14]

State bar of Arizona

First Asian American man (president): Thomas Tang in 1977^[18]
First Latino American man (president): Ernest Calderón in 2002^[28]
First African American man (president): Benjamin Taylor in 2023^[29]

Firsts in local history

Greg Garcia:^[7] Reputed to be the first Hispanic American male lawyer in Maricopa County, Arizona
Valdemar Aguirre Cordova (1950):^[3]^[23] First Hispanic American male judge in Maricopa County, Arizona (1965)
Cecil B. Patterson Jr. (1971):^[3]^[20] First African American man to serve on the Maricopa County Superior Court
Kevin Kane:^[30] First openly LGBT man to serve on the Phoenix Municipal Court (2006)
Raúl Héctor Castro (1949):^[13]^[14]^[15] First Mexican American man to serve on the Superior Court of Pima County, Arizona (1959)
Rubin Salter, Jr.:^[31] First African American male lawyer in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona (c. 1964)
Harry Gin:^[32] First Chinese American man to serve on the Superior Court of Pima County, Arizona (1975)
James Don:^[33] First Chinese American man to serve as the Pinal County attorney and a judge of the Pinal County Superior Court, Arizona

References

↑ Luckingham, Bradford (May 1, 2015). Minorities in Phoenix: A Profile of Mexican American, Chinese American, and African American Communities, 1860-1992. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-3209-4.
↑ "Attorney William Watkins". California Eagle. May 15, 1936.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Arizona, State Bar of. "Diversity". State Bar of Arizona. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
1 2 3 "Daniels, Hayzel B. (1913-1992) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. January 19, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
↑ Ryan, Michael D. (November 2000). "Arizona Trailblazers: Honoring 100 Women & Minority Lawyers". AZ Attorney. 37: 20.
↑ Nakanishi, Don T.; Wu, Ellen D. (2002). Distinguished Asian American Political and Governmental Leaders. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-1-57356-325-3.
1 2 3 4 5 Watts, Stan (2007). A Legal History of Maricopa County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738548159.
↑ Congress (January 21, 2015). Congressional Record: Bound Volumes. Government Printing Office.
↑ "Slush fund defendants claim sovereign immunity". navajotimes.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
↑ Ross, Andrew (November 3, 2011). Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World's Least Sustainable City. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199828272.
↑ "Arizona Attorney - April 2019 - page51". www.azattorneymag-digital.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
↑ Alam, Adnan (September 8, 2017). "Local attorney helps DREAMers plan for uncertain future". Cronkite News - Arizona PBS. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
1 2 3 4 "Raul Castro, Arizona's only Latino governor, dies at 98". azcentral. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
1 2 3 4 Davenport, Paul (April 14, 2015). "Raul Hector Castro, ambassador and Arizona governor, dies at 98". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
1 2 3 "AZ Legal Timeline". www.legallegacy.org. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
↑ "Boy Scout Awards, 1951". Arizona Memory Project.
↑ Rogers, John W. (January 1, 2019). "Judge Thomas Tang". American Bar Association.
1 2 "Legends of the Judiciary: Judge Thomas Tang". supremestateaz.granicus.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
1 2 Irvine, Patrick (June 2005). "ARTICLE: 1965-2005: THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS". AZ Attorney. 41: 12.
1 2 3 "ASU Law establishes endowment for trailblazing black judge". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. February 24, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
↑ "Robb: Ducey never mentioned first Latino Arizona Supreme Court justice's race". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
↑ "Tang, Thomas | Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
1 2 Beene, James P. (December 2010). "Valdemar A. Cordova: Gentleman Judge" (PDF). Arizona Attorney.
↑ "First African-American Leads Arizona Federal Court". www.ca9.uscourts.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
↑ "NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Sharad Desai to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona". NAPABA. November 21, 2024.
↑ "Tom Horne visits Yeshiva High School". www.jewishaz.com. November 27, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
↑ "María García :: Arizona Latina Trailblazers". azmemory.azlibrary.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
↑ Eigo, Tim (2002). "Leader for All: New Bar President Jessica Sanchez" (PDF). Arizona Attorney.
↑ "First Black president of the State Bar of Arizona". Arizona PBS. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
↑ Gardiner, Dustin. "Diversity debate slows selection of Phoenix's chief judge". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
↑ "Tucson to Get First Negro Attorney". Arizona Republic. August 23, 1964. p. 29.
↑ "Harry Gin 2/19/1927 11/2/2011". Arizona Daily Star. November 9, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
↑ Ryan, Michael D. (November 2000). "FEATURE: ARIZONA TRAILBLAZERS: HONORING 100 WOMEN AND MINORITY LAWYERS". AZ Attorney. 37: 20.

[1] Luckingham, Bradford (May 1, 2015). Minorities in Phoenix: A Profile of Mexican American, Chinese American, and African American Communities, 1860-1992. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-3209-4.

[2] "Attorney William Watkins". California Eagle. May 15, 1936.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Arizona, State Bar of. "Diversity". State Bar of Arizona. Retrieved October 8, 2016.

[:1-4] 1 2 3 "Daniels, Hayzel B. (1913-1992) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. January 19, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2018.

[5] Ryan, Michael D. (November 2000). "Arizona Trailblazers: Honoring 100 Women & Minority Lawyers". AZ Attorney. 37: 20.

[6] Nakanishi, Don T.; Wu, Ellen D. (2002). Distinguished Asian American Political and Governmental Leaders. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-1-57356-325-3.

[:132-7] 1 2 3 4 5 Watts, Stan (2007). A Legal History of Maricopa County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738548159.

[:55-8] Congress (January 21, 2015). Congressional Record: Bound Volumes. Government Printing Office.

[:56-9] "Slush fund defendants claim sovereign immunity". navajotimes.com. Retrieved January 17, 2018.

[:57-10] Ross, Andrew (November 3, 2011). Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World's Least Sustainable City. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199828272.

[11] "Arizona Attorney - April 2019 - page51". www.azattorneymag-digital.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.

[12] Alam, Adnan (September 8, 2017). "Local attorney helps DREAMers plan for uncertain future". Cronkite News - Arizona PBS. Retrieved October 26, 2022.

[:3-13] 1 2 3 4 "Raul Castro, Arizona's only Latino governor, dies at 98". azcentral. Retrieved January 29, 2018.

[:4-14] 1 2 3 4 Davenport, Paul (April 14, 2015). "Raul Hector Castro, ambassador and Arizona governor, dies at 98". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 29, 2018.

[:5-15] 1 2 3 "AZ Legal Timeline". www.legallegacy.org. Retrieved January 25, 2019.

[16] "Boy Scout Awards, 1951". Arizona Memory Project.

[17] Rogers, John W. (January 1, 2019). "Judge Thomas Tang". American Bar Association.

[:7-18] 1 2 "Legends of the Judiciary: Judge Thomas Tang". supremestateaz.granicus.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

[:6-19] 1 2 Irvine, Patrick (June 2005). "ARTICLE: 1965-2005: THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS". AZ Attorney. 41: 12.

[:2-20] 1 2 3 "ASU Law establishes endowment for trailblazing black judge". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. February 24, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.

[21] "Robb: Ducey never mentioned first Latino Arizona Supreme Court justice's race". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 14, 2018.

[22] "Tang, Thomas | Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2018.

[:8-23] 1 2 Beene, James P. (December 2010). "Valdemar A. Cordova: Gentleman Judge" (PDF). Arizona Attorney.

[24] "First African-American Leads Arizona Federal Court". www.ca9.uscourts.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2018.

[25] "NAPABA Applauds the Confirmation of Sharad Desai to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona". NAPABA. November 21, 2024.

[26] "Tom Horne visits Yeshiva High School". www.jewishaz.com. November 27, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2018.

[27] "María García :: Arizona Latina Trailblazers". azmemory.azlibrary.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2018.

[28] Eigo, Tim (2002). "Leader for All: New Bar President Jessica Sanchez" (PDF). Arizona Attorney.

[29] "First Black president of the State Bar of Arizona". Arizona PBS. Retrieved November 30, 2023.

[30] Gardiner, Dustin. "Diversity debate slows selection of Phoenix's chief judge". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved February 17, 2022.

[31] "Tucson to Get First Negro Attorney". Arizona Republic. August 23, 1964. p. 29.

[32] "Harry Gin 2/19/1927 11/2/2011". Arizona Daily Star. November 9, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

[33] Ryan, Michael D. (November 2000). "FEATURE: ARIZONA TRAILBLAZERS: HONORING 100 WOMEN AND MINORITY LAWYERS". AZ Attorney. 37: 20.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]