Hernandez v. Texas

Hernandez v. Texas, , was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court. In a unanimous ruling, the Court held that Mexican Americans and all other racial or national groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren. This was the first case in which Mexican-American lawyers had appeared before the US Supreme Court.
Background.
Pete Hernandez, a Mexican-American agricultural worker, was convicted for the 1950 murder of Joe Espinosa. Hernandez's "pro bono" legal team, including Gustavo C. García, wanted to challenge what they knew was "the systematic exclusion of persons of Mexican origin" from all types of jury duty in at least seventy counties in Texas. His defense lawyers argued that persons of Mexican descent had not been allowed to serve on juries even though numerous Mexican Americans were citizens and had qualified for jury duty in Jackson County. Even though 14 percent of the county was Hispanic, none had served on juries for at least the last 25 years. This meant Hernandez had been deprived of his Fourteenth Amendment rights. Hernandez and his lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court of Texas, then to the United States Supreme Court through a writ of certiorari.
Ruling.
The unanimous majority opinion was delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren. The Court ruled the Fourteenth Amendment protects persons beyond the racial classes of white or black, and extends protection to other racial or national groups, as well as legal classes. Mexican Americans were such a "special class" and were entitled to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Results.
Pete Hernandez was granted a new trial with a jury that included Mexican Americans. Hernandez was found to be guilty of murder. The ultimate effect of this ruling was that the protection of the 14th Amendment was ruled to cover any racial, national and ethnic groups of the United States for which discrimination could be proved. The Court's ruling served as a legal precedent used in legal challenges against unfair housing laws, school segregation, and voting rights of Mexican Americans nationwide.