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Latinx Leaders: Justice Cuellar & Judge Rodriguez

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On Tuesday, we had the honor of hosting a conversation between our members and Justice Cuellar of the California Supreme Court and his former chief of staff, and now judge, Judge Rodriguez. Dean Chemerinsky did us the honor of introducing our speakers and then one of our co-chairs, Anya, proceeded to moderate a conversation the the judges. We talked about their backgrounds, why they decided to pursue law, details of their work including Justice Cuellar’s experience working in the Obama transition team and Judge Rodriguez's newly created civil domestic violence department. We then opened up the floor for student questions and our members asked interesting questions ranging from advice for 1Ls who don’t know what they want to do yet to what do the judges think about the executive branch’s oversight of immigration courts. The event was a blast, and we were so glad to connect with some former bears (Gonzalez ‘04) and people who wished they went to Berkeley Law!

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Native Land Acknowledgement


We take a moment to recognize that Berkeley sits on the territory of xučyun (Huichin) (Hoo-Choon), the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo (Cho-Chen-yo) speaking Ohlone people, the successors of the historic and sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County. This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Muwekma (Muh-wek-muh) Ohlone Tribe and other familial descendants of the Verona Band.

We recognize that every member of the Berkeley community has benefited, and continues to benefit, from the use and occupation of this land since the institution's founding in 1868. Consistent with our values of community and diversity, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and make visible the university's relationship to Native peoples. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold the University of California, Berkeley more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.