Julio M. Fuentes
Encyclopedia
Julio M. Fuentes is a United States Circuit Judge
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
. Fuentes is the first Hispanic judge to serve the Third Circuit.
, Fuentes moved with his family from Puerto Rico to New York in 1950, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger. Fuentes' family settled in the South Bronx
area of The Bronx
, N.Y. and moved to New Jersey in 1955. Fuentes grew up in Toms River, New Jersey
.
Fuentes earned a bachelor's degree in 1971 from Southern Illinois University
. His time at SIU was interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, from 1966 until 1968. Fuentes also earned a master's degree in Latin American Studies from New York University
in 1972. He then earned a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975, and another master's degree in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University
in 1993.
in Essex County
from 1987 until being confirmed to the Third Circuit in 2000.
of New Jersey. President Clinton's staff interviewed Fuentes and instead opted to bring forth Fuentes' name as a nominee at the circuit court of appeals level. Clinton nominated Fuentes to the Third Circuit seat on March 8, 1999. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved Fuentes' nomination on March 2, 2000, and the full U.S. Senate confirmed Fuentes by a 93-0 vote on March 7, 2000. Fuentes was sworn in on May 15, 2000. "I intend to honor this trust every day," Fuentes told a standing ovation as he was sworn in, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger.
United States court of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
. Fuentes is the first Hispanic judge to serve the Third Circuit.
Early life and education
Born in Humacao, Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Fuentes moved with his family from Puerto Rico to New York in 1950, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger. Fuentes' family settled in the South Bronx
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
area of The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, N.Y. and moved to New Jersey in 1955. Fuentes grew up in Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River, New Jersey
Toms River is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Toms River Township and is the county seat of Ocean County, New Jersey. It is part of a larger Toms River Township...
.
Fuentes earned a bachelor's degree in 1971 from Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
. His time at SIU was interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, from 1966 until 1968. Fuentes also earned a master's degree in Latin American Studies from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1972. He then earned a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975, and another master's degree in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1993.
Legal career
Fuentes worked as lawyer in private practice from 1975 until 1981, and worked as a judge in the Newark Municipal Court from 1979 until 1987. He then served as a judge in New Jersey Superior CourtNew Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
in Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
from 1987 until being confirmed to the Third Circuit in 2000.
Federal judicial service
Fuentes' name originally had been put forth for a District Court opening by then-Sen. Robert TorricelliRobert Torricelli
Robert Guy Torricelli , nicknamed "the Torch," is an American politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. Torricelli, a Democrat, served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. Senate...
of New Jersey. President Clinton's staff interviewed Fuentes and instead opted to bring forth Fuentes' name as a nominee at the circuit court of appeals level. Clinton nominated Fuentes to the Third Circuit seat on March 8, 1999. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved Fuentes' nomination on March 2, 2000, and the full U.S. Senate confirmed Fuentes by a 93-0 vote on March 7, 2000. Fuentes was sworn in on May 15, 2000. "I intend to honor this trust every day," Fuentes told a standing ovation as he was sworn in, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger.