by Lisa R. Pruitt & Ezera Miller-Walfish, Class of 2022
Although the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent voting rights decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee was very bad news for rural residents (and, indeed, all voters) in terms of the precedent set, there is perhaps a silver lining to be found in the dissenting opinion, written by Justice Elena Kagan and joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. That dissent took the concept of distance–rural spatiality–more seriously than any faction of the Supreme Court has ever done.
We have lost a civil rights icon and immigration reformer. The first Latino on the California Supreme Court, Cruz Reynoso, passed away yesterday after a long illness. He celebrated his 90th birthday last weekend.
Cruz Reynoso, former California Supreme Court Justice and my colleague at UC Davis School of Law for two decades, died a few days ago at the age of 90. Many are offering remembrances of Reynoso -- who the faculty and staff at the law school knew as just "Cruz"-- and it's interesting for me as a ruralist to see the number of references to "rural" in his life's story.
This evening at Sacramento City College, Professor Emeritus Cruz Reynoso appeared on a panel on the Chicana/o rights movement.
Here is the event description: "The Mexican/Chicana/o Movement in Sacramento from the 1960s through the 1980s linked civil and political rights with social, economic, and cultural rights. It was an age of vibrant Mexican/Chicana/o activism and leaders saw themselves as a critical part of the national Chicana/o Movement. The panelists will discuss their personal experiences during the Movimiento."
Former California Supreme Court Justice and Professor Emeritus Cruz Reynoso penned an op-ed for PostEverything, a feature of The Washington Post. The piece is titled "I'm Mexican-American, and I was a judge. What Trump is doing is appalling." In it, Reynoso takes on remarks from presumed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who wishes to disqualify U.S.
María Blanco, Executive Director of the UC Undocumented Legal Services Center that operates out of King Hall, joins this press call tomorrow. Hispanics for a Fair Judiciary and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda are hosting the call to discuss Senate leaders' threats to obstruct confirmation process. Here is their press release:
UC College of Law to Host Discussion on Immigration Act of 1965 and Its Impact
The lecture by Dean Kevin Johnson of the University of California-Davis School of Law will highlight the Immigration Act of 1965 and its impact on Latina/Latino immigrants. The April 17 event is open to all.
Americans are often said to have a love-hate relationship with rural America. On the one hand, many wax nostalgic about the good old days, simpler times, the bond of "rural community" that many of our grandparents once lived, even if most of "us" grew up in the city.
