madam speaker , i rise today in strong support of h.r. 483 , the garza-vela united states courthouse designation act , offered by my colleague and my good friend , the gentleman from texas ( mr. ortiz ) xz4003020 . 
this bill pays tribute to two great americans , federal judge reynaldo garza and federal judge filemon vela who were judicial legends in the great state of texas . 
judge garza was the nation 's first mexican american federal district judge appointed to the federal bench by president kennedy in 1961 . 
this outstanding man had done advanced study in the field of law and was a great orator . 
judge garza served our nation through the turbulent years of the civil rights movement . 
his decisions contributed to the changes that opened up many opportunities for minorities . 
in 1976 president carter asked him to serve as the nation 's attorney general , but he declined because he did not want to leave his beloved south texas and his service on the federal bench . 
he did , however , accept an appointment to the 5th court of appeals by president carter and for many years commuted back and forth between south texas and the circuit court in new orleans . 
in 1982 he obtained senior status ; and even after his retirement , he remained active by filling in on the bench whenever he was needed . 
he was committed to education , particularly in encouraging literacy ; and he was known and highly respected by everyone for the even-handed way in which he dispensed justice . 
i served 1 year as foreman of a federal grand jury which he appointed in his district court in brownsville , texas . 
it was a privilege and a pleasure to work with him and meet in his chamber where i witnessed firsthand the honesty , the integrity , and compassion of this gentleman from south texas . 
his last official act took place from his hospital bed when he officiated the swearing in of his protege , federal judge ricardo h. hinojosa , as the new chairman of the federal sentencing commission . 
judge vela was nominated to the federal bench by president carter in 1980 . 
he became an expert on comparative american and mexican law . 
during his tenure , the federal docket dramatically increased due to the enormous population growth in south texas . 
yet despite the heavy case load , judge vela fought to ensure that every person received prompt and fair treatment . 
he worked tirelessly to design and have built the new courthouse in brownsville . 
it is indeed fitting that his name will be on this new federal courthouse . 
judge vela , like his good friend judge garza , was known for his impeccable integrity and his willingness to mentor young attorneys . 
he also was passionate about teaching children about the law and the criminal justice system in order to encourage them to make right choices of life . 
he would bring inmates to school auditorium programs to tell children about the mistakes they had made and the consequences they suffered as a result . 
judge vela had one of the longest running and most successful radio programs on legal subjects which was broadcast in spanish to more than 2 million listeners in south texas and northern mexico . 
he also participated in 220 spanish radio programs entitled `` enriquezca su vida , termine sus estudios , '' meaning `` enrich your life , complete your studies , '' that focused on encouraging children to stay in school and off drugs . 
he was tireless when it came to community involvement and showing compassion for low-income families . 
i am proud to have called him my second cousin . 
he gave countless hours as a mentor and leader to youth programs whether as an attorney for the cameron county child welfare department , as founder of the esperanza home for boys , or as the chair of the board of rio grande marine institute home for youth . 
we lost both of these great men last year , but their service to the people of texas and to this great nation must not be forgotten . 
i urge my colleagues to support this legislation that provides a fitting tribute to these two great americans . 
