Jorge Rangel
Encyclopedia
Jorge C. Rangel is a Texas lawyer
and a former federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
, Rangel earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston
in 1970 and a law degree from the Harvard Law School
in 1973.
. In 1983, Texas Gov. Mark White
appointed Rangel to a state judgeship in Nueces County. He returned to private practice in 1985, and currently is based in Corpus Christi, Texas
.
taking senior status. Rangel's nomination ran into trouble, because as a member of an American Bar Association
screening board in the 1980s and early 1990s, Rangel had been critical of some Republicans, including of President Reagan's 1986 ultimately unsuccessful nomination to the federal bench of Jeff Sessions
, who later became a senator and member of the very U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reviewing Rangel's nomination. In addition, the U.S. Senate was controlled by Republicans during the balance of Clinton's second term, causing Rangel's nomination to languish. Rangel waited more than a year for a hearing from the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, but never received one.
After the Senate adjourned in the fall of 1998, Rangel asked Clinton not to resubmit his name to the next session of Congress. Clinton later nominated Enrique Moreno
to the seat, but his nomination also languished. President George W. Bush nominated Priscilla Owen
to the seat in 2001. She finally won confirmation in 2005.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a former federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Early life and education
Born in Alice, TexasAlice, Texas
At the 2000 census, there were 19,010 people, 6,400 households and 4,915 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,597.4 per square mile . There were 6,998 housing units at an average density of 588.0 per square mile...
, Rangel earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in 1970 and a law degree from the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1973.
Professional career
Rangel has worked in private law practice for much of his professional career. From 1975 until 1976, he worked as an assistant professor at the University of Houston Law CenterUniversity of Houston Law Center
The University of Houston Law Center is a law school located in Houston, Texas. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 academic colleges of the University of Houston...
. In 1983, Texas Gov. Mark White
Mark White
Mark Wells White is an American lawyer, who served as the 43rd Governor of Texas from January 18,1983-January 20,1987.-Biography:...
appointed Rangel to a state judgeship in Nueces County. He returned to private practice in 1985, and currently is based in Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
.
Nomination to the Fifth Circuit
On July 24, 1997, President Clinton nominated Rangel to a vacancy on the Fifth Circuit that had been created by Judge William Lockhart GarwoodWilliam Lockhart Garwood
William Lockhart Garwood was a United States federal judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.Born in Houston, Texas to Wilmer St...
taking senior status. Rangel's nomination ran into trouble, because as a member of an American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
screening board in the 1980s and early 1990s, Rangel had been critical of some Republicans, including of President Reagan's 1986 ultimately unsuccessful nomination to the federal bench of Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III is the junior United States Senator from Alabama. First elected in 1996, Sessions is a member of the Republican Party...
, who later became a senator and member of the very U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reviewing Rangel's nomination. In addition, the U.S. Senate was controlled by Republicans during the balance of Clinton's second term, causing Rangel's nomination to languish. Rangel waited more than a year for a hearing from the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, but never received one.
After the Senate adjourned in the fall of 1998, Rangel asked Clinton not to resubmit his name to the next session of Congress. Clinton later nominated Enrique Moreno
Enrique Moreno
Enrique Moreno is a personal-injury and product liability lawyer in El Paso, Texas and a former federal judicial nominee to the U.S...
to the seat, but his nomination also languished. President George W. Bush nominated Priscilla Owen
Priscilla Owen
Priscilla Richman Owen is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She was previously a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court.-Early life:...
to the seat in 2001. She finally won confirmation in 2005.