Search results
- The Court held that Mexican Americans were “a class apart,” a distinct group entitled to the same constitutional protections as other minorities under the Fourteenth Amendment.
www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/hernandez-v-texas-spotlight-050115
Hernandez's legal team appealed, claiming that Mexican Americans, although White, were treated as a class apart and subject to social discrimination in Jackson County, where the case had been tried, and therefore were deserving of 14th Amendment protection.
Feb 23, 2009 · Aired February 23, 2009. A Class Apart. We serve whites only, no spanish or mexicans From the Collection: The U.S. Latino Experience. In 1951 in the town of Edna, Texas, a field hand named...
Jul 3, 2024 · The Texas Court of Appeals held that the 14th Amendment applied to a “two class theory”—classifying Mexican Americans as a special class within the white race while legal journal arguments pointed to inclusion of interclass discrimination under this clause.
- Legacy
- Background
- Trial
- Significance
In 1954, the United States Supreme Court extended constitutional rights to Mexican Americans in the landmark civil rights case Hernandez v. Texas.
Before the ruling, Mexican Americans were officially classified as white but faced overt discrimination and segregation. In 1950, Pete Hernandez was charged with murder and found guilty by an all-white jury in Jackson County, Texas. Gustavo Gus Garcia, a Mexican American civil rights lawyer, agreed to represent Hernandez's appeal in order to challe...
Pete Hernandez received a new trial with a jury that included Mexican Americans, and was again found guilty of murder.
The Supreme Court's decision set a precedent that led to successful challenges of employment and housing discrimination, school segregation, and voting rights barriers against Mexican Americans. The case literally helped improve the lives of millions of Latinos nationwide.
When Pete Hernandez killed Joe Espinosa, nobody thought it would result in a landmark legal case that would give Mexican Americans equal rights in the eyes of the law.
- American Experience
Led by three dedicated Mexican American lawyers, the case argued for recognition of Mexican Americans under the 14th Amendment as a “class apart.” Despite a distinct history and culture, Mexican Americans were considered white by law during this period, yet in reality they were subjected to prejudice and discrimination.
Sep 1, 1995 · García and his associates presented comprehensive evidence that in Jackson County discrimination and segregation were common practice, and Mexican Americans were treated as a class apart. Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous opinion of the court in favor of Hernández and ordered a reversal of conviction.
