List of first minority male lawyers and judges in U.S. territories
This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in the territories of the U.S. 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.
American Samoa[edit]
Lawyer[edit]
- Peter Tali Coleman (1951):[1][2][3] First Samoan male lawyer in American Samoa. He was later appointed as the first governor of American Samoa (1989)
Judge[edit]
- Michael Kruse (1972):[4][5] First Samoan male to be appointed as a justice of the High Court of American Samoa (1987)
Attorney general[edit]
- Peter Tali Coleman (1951):[1][2][3] First Samoan male to serve as the attorney general for American Samoa
Political office[edit]
- Peter Tali Coleman (1951):[1][2][3] First Samoan male to serve as the governor of American Samoa (1989)
Guam[edit]
Judicial officer[edit]
Justice of the peace[edit]
- Joaquín Cruz Pérez:[6] First Guamanian male to serve as the justice of the peace in Guam (1899)
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Judge[edit]
- Pancracio Palting:[6] First Filipino male judge in Guam before the court system was later reorganized (c. 1920s)
Justice[edit]
- Joaquín Cruz Pérez:[6] First Guamanian male to serve as an associate justice for Guam (1915)
- Joaquin Perez:[7] First Chamorro male appointed as the presiding judge of the Superior Court of Guam (1974)
- Benjamin Cruz (1975):[8] First openly LGBT male appointed as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Guam (1997)
Island attorney[edit]
- Vicente C. Reyes:[6] First male island attorney (or attorney general) in Guam. He would later be appointed as a judge in 1947 before the court system was reorganized.
Attorney general[edit]
- Douglas Moylan:[6] First Guamanian male lawyer to be appointed as the attorney general of Guam (2003–2007)
Northern Mariana Islands[edit]
Lawyer[edit]
- Edward Pangelinan: First Chamorro male lawyer in the Northern Mariana Islands[9][10]
Judge[edit]
- Alfred Laureta:[11][12] First Filipino American appointed as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands (1978)
Attorney general[edit]
- Edward Manibusan:[13][14] First Chamorro male lawyer to be elected as the attorney general of the Northern Mariana Islands (2015). He also served as a judge during the course of his career.
Puerto Rico[edit]
Lawyer[edit]
- Benito Díaz Pares (1841):[15] First native-born lawyer in Puerto Rico
Judge[edit]
- Clemente Ruiz Nazario (1921):[16] First Puerto Rican male appointed as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (1952)
- Juan R. Torruella (1957):[17] First Puerto Rican male appointed as a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1984) and to serve as its chief judge (1994)
United States Virgin Islands[edit]
- William H. Hastie (1931):[18][19] First African American male appointed as a judge of the U.S. District Court of the Virgin Islands (1937)
See also[edit]
Other topics of interest[edit]
- List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first women lawyers and judges in U.S. territories
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Crocombe, R. G. (1995). The Pacific Islands and the USA. editorips@usp.ac.fj. ISBN 9789820201163.
- ^ a b c "President's Message". www.asbar.org. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ a b c Pacific Islands Monthly: PIM. Pacific Publications. 1997.
- ^ Craig, Robert D. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Polynesia. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810867727.
- ^ "2009 and 2010 Term Clerkships Available in American Samoa". Judicial Clerkships. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ a b c d e "Judiciary History - Historical Review: "Justicia para todo"" (PDF). Judiciary of Guam.
- ^ "Judiciary of Guam". www.guamcourts.org. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ Silva, David (1997-11-25). Cruz Control. The Advocate.
- ^ Willens, Howard P. (October 21, 1993). "Interview of Edward DLG Pangelinan" (PDF). Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
- ^ Willens, Howard (November 10, 1994). "Interview of James E. White" (PDF). Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
- ^ "'The Judge'". Fordham Law. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
- ^ Katsoris, Constantine N. (April 2007). "COMMEMORATION: A TRIBUTE TO THE FORDHAM JUDICIARY: A CENTURY OF SERVICE". Fordham L. Rev. 75: 2303.
- ^ "Manibusan sworn in as first elected attorney general - Saipan News, Headlines, Events, Ads | Saipan Tribune". www.saipantribune.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ Variety, Marianas. "NMI's first elected AG assumes office". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ Altieri, Gerardo A. Carlo (2007). Justicia y gobierno: la Audiencia de Puerto Rico (1831-1861) (in Spanish). Editorial CSIC - CSIC Press. ISBN 9788400085575.
- ^ "Clemente Ruiz Nazario (1952-1966) | District of Puerto Rico". www.prd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ "Juan R. Torruella | First Circuit | United States Court of Appeals". www.ca1.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ Harris, Robert L. Jr.; Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn (2006-06-27). The Columbia Guide to African American History Since 1939. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231510875.
- ^ Judge Hastie, First Black Federal Jurist, Dead at 71. Jet Magazine. 1976-04-29.