Leslie Gomez
Hernandez v. Texas
During the 1950 life for Mexicans was really difficult, they were not considered intelligent, they were considered invisible. They were not allowed in some parts like restaurants, movie theaters and other parts. But things changed by the early 20th century, they were now considered white by law, largely owning to the treaty’s grant of American citizenship. But still their status has citizens didn’t meant a lot. In 1954 the Supreme Court’s ruling in Hernandez v. Texas extended more rights to Latino citizens. The case ended the exclusion of Mexican Americans from juries in Texas. The Hernandez v. Texas was a turning point case; it was the first and only Mexican American civil rights case that was decided by the
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He was indicted within one day by the grand jury. Mexicans had the opportunity to decide whether they wanted to stay in the United States and become American Citizens. At this time the only people that could become American Citizens were Anglos. Pedro Hernandez was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The most important thing about the case of Hernandez v. Texas was that it helped end racial discrimination in the judicial system, and provides equal protection of the laws for all Americans. Jury selection did changed, now states could no longer exclude citizens from jury service based on their ethnicity or race. In conclusion Hernandez v. Texas was a good cause for Mexicans. Pedro Hernandez murdered Joe Espinoza and then he was refused a multi-racial jury of his peers, but the Texas court house denied his appeal. The lower courts reject the Courts ruling because the state of Texas argued that the fourteen Amendments covered only black and whites. The state said that no person that was a Hispanic had ever served on any type of jury for twenty five years. Garcia and the people that worked with him presented evidence, which showed that in Jackson County, segregation and discrimination were common and Mexican