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

Peter Tali Coleman: First Samoan male lawyer in American Samoa (1951)

Lawyer

  • 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

  • Michael Kruse (1972):[4][5] First Samoan male to be appointed as a justice of the High Court of American Samoa (1987)

Attorney general

  • Peter Tali Coleman (1951):[1][2][3] First Samoan male to serve as the attorney general for American Samoa

Political office

  • Peter Tali Coleman (1951):[1][2][3] First Samoan male to serve as the governor of American Samoa (1989)

Guam

Judicial officer

Justice of the peace

Judge

  • Pancracio Palting:[6] First Filipino male judge in Guam before the court system was later reorganized (c. 1920s)

Justice

  • 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

  • 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

  • Douglas Moylan:[6] First Guamanian male lawyer to be appointed as the attorney general of Guam (2003–2007)

Northern Mariana Islands

Lawyer

  • Edward Pangelinan: First Chamorro male lawyer in the Northern Mariana Islands[9][10]

Judge

Attorney general

  • 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

Lawyer

  • Benito Díaz Pares (1841):[15] First native-born lawyer in Puerto Rico

Judge

  • 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

William H. Hastie: First African American male judge of the District Court of the Virgin Islands (1937)
  • 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

Other topics of interest

References

  1. ^ a b c Crocombe, R. G. (1995). The Pacific Islands and the USA. [email protected]. ISBN 9789820201163.
  2. ^ a b c "President's Message". www.asbar.org. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  3. ^ a b c Pacific Islands Monthly: PIM. Pacific Publications. 1997.
  4. ^ Craig, Robert D. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Polynesia. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780810867727.
  5. ^ "2009 and 2010 Term Clerkships Available in American Samoa". Judicial Clerkships. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Judiciary History - Historical Review: "Justicia para todo"" (PDF). Judiciary of Guam.
  7. ^ "Judiciary of Guam". www.guamcourts.org. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  8. ^ Silva, David (1997-11-25). Cruz Control. The Advocate.
  9. ^ Willens, Howard P. (October 21, 1993). "Interview of Edward DLG Pangelinan" (PDF). Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
  10. ^ Willens, Howard (November 10, 1994). "Interview of James E. White" (PDF). Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
  11. ^ "'The Judge'". Fordham Law. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  12. ^ Katsoris, Constantine N. (April 2007). "COMMEMORATION: A TRIBUTE TO THE FORDHAM JUDICIARY: A CENTURY OF SERVICE". Fordham L. Rev. 75: 2303.
  13. ^ "Manibusan sworn in as first elected attorney general - Saipan News, Headlines, Events, Ads | Saipan Tribune". www.saipantribune.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  14. ^ Variety, Marianas. "NMI's first elected AG assumes office". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  15. ^ Altieri, Gerardo A. Carlo (2007). Justicia y gobierno: la Audiencia de Puerto Rico (1831-1861) (in Spanish). Editorial CSIC - CSIC Press. ISBN 9788400085575.
  16. ^ "Clemente Ruiz Nazario (1952-1966) | District of Puerto Rico". www.prd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  17. ^ "Juan R. Torruella | First Circuit | United States Court of Appeals". www.ca1.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  18. ^ Harris, Robert L. Jr.; Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn (2006-06-27). The Columbia Guide to African American History Since 1939. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231510875.
  19. ^ Judge Hastie, First Black Federal Jurist, Dead at 71. Jet Magazine. 1976-04-29.