HispanicBusiness

WASHINGTON -- The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) today issued a statement praising the Senate for its unanimous approval of nominee Judge C. Edward Prado to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Judge Prado's appointment to the federal bench is an important win for the Latino community. MALDEF believes that in a nation of more than 37 million Latinos, the federal judiciary should be more diverse.

Judge Prado's appointment is significant to our community because we need judges who understand issues affecting the Latino community," said Antonia Hernandez, President and General Counsel of MALDEF. "Judge Prado's decisions on the bench, as well as his work on commissions and in conferences, all point to someone who would be fair. MALDEF believes that Judge Prado would approach each case that comes before him with an open mind."

Most recently, MALDEF litigated the case of the G.I. Forum v. Tex. Educ. Agency, challenging the use of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) examination as a requirement to high school graduation because of its discriminatory effect on Latinos and African-Americans.

"Judge Prado ruled against our educational civil rights case; and we adamantly believe his ruling was wrong. Nevertheless, we conducted a review of Judge Prado's decisions as a judge on the district court, and decided to support his nomination," added Hernandez.

A national non-profit organization, MALDEF promotes and protects the rights of Latinos through advocacy, community education and outreach, leadership development, higher education scholarships and when necessary, through the legal system.