The UC Davis School of Law will hold a symposium to honor the civil rights legacy and racial justice work of the late Cruz Reynoso, the first Latino California Supreme Court justice and former UC Davis Law Professor. 

Born into a farm worker family in Southern California, Reynoso dedicated his life to fighting the injustices he experienced as a Latino by working in public service, advocating for workers, immigrants and the indigent for five decades. He became the first Latino member of the California Supreme Court in 1982, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 2000. He died in May.

The event will take place in-person Thursday, Oct. 21, from 5-7 p.m. at the UC Davis School of Law (King Hall), room 1001, and is available on Zoom. People attending the event can register here, and virtually here. All attendees must take a COVID symptom survey, provide proof of vaccination with CDC card, or proof of negative test, and wear a face covering. Full UC Davis policies are here and symptom survey here for staff, faculty, students and visitors. 

Alternatively, UC Davis students, staff and faculty can present a green or purple approved daily symptom survey.

A welcome and introduction will be given by UC Davis School of Law Dean Kevin R. Johnson. UC Davis Law Professor Raquel Aldana is the moderator. Guest panelists include José Padilla, California Rural Legal Assistance and Thomas Saenz, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Amagda Perez, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation and co-director of the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic.

For more event information click here. 

A short biography paying tribute to his life written by Dean Kevin Johnson in a California history journal can be found here. Here is a short story paying tribute to his life by UC Davis and one by his law school alma mater, UC Berkeley, here.