SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 451
         WHEREAS, The observance of Texas Women Judges' Day at the
  State Capitol on April 24, 2023, provides a welcome
  opportunity to recognize women judges for their invaluable
  work to advance the administration of justice and the rule of
  law in our state; and
 
         WHEREAS, Women judges in Texas have a storied history
  dating back to 1925, when Hortense Sparks Ward, the first woman
  to pass the Texas bar exam, along with Hattie Leah Henenberg and
  Ruth Virginia Brazzil formed the first all-women high court in
  the United States; the three women were appointed by Governor Pat
  Neff to serve as special justices on a Texas Supreme Court case
  from which all of the existing judges on the court had recused
  themselves; and
 
         WHEREAS, In 1935, Sarah Tilghman Hughes became the first
  woman to hold a permanent position on a Texas bench; she went on
  to make history again in 1961 as the first woman appointed to a
  federal district judgeship in Texas, and she remains the only
  woman ever to administer the oath of office to an American
  president, having sworn in Lyndon Baines Johnson aboard Air Force
  One on November 22, 1963; and
 
         WHEREAS, Among other notable trailblazers who have
  contributed to the diversity of the Texas judiciary are Harriet
  Mitchell Murphy, the first African American woman appointed to a
  regular judgeship in Texas, Elma Salinas Ender, the first Latina
  state district judge in Texas, and Wendy Duong, the first
  Vietnamese American woman to serve as a judge in the state; in
  2005, the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals in San Antonio
  became the first appellate court in the U.S. composed entirely of
  women, and in 2021, the court again had the distinction of being
  the only all-women and now majority-Latina appellate court in the
  country; and
 
         WHEREAS, Today, the Texas Supreme Court includes three
  female justices, Jane Bland, Rebecca Aizpuru Huddle, and Debra
  Lehrmann, while the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals includes four
  women, Presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Judges Barbara Hervey,
  Mary Lou Keel, and Michelle Slaughter; women currently represent
  34 percent of judges in all courts throughout Texas, as well as 43
  percent of all state and district judges; and
 
         WHEREAS, Women judges have brought inspiring dedication,
  wisdom, and integrity to the bench, helping to make our judicial
  system fairer and more just for all Texans, and it is indeed
  fitting that a special day be set aside to honor their
  immeasurable contributions; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
  Legislature, hereby recognize April 24, 2023, as Texas Women
  Judges' Day at the State Capitol and commend the women judges
  of the State of Texas for their service and commitment to equal
  justice under the law.
 
  Zaffirini
 
 
Alvarado Hinojosa Menéndez
 
Birdwell Huffman Middleton
 
Campbell Hughes Parker
 
Creighton Johnson Paxton
 
Eckhardt Kolkhorst West
 
Gutierrez LaMantia Whitmire
 
  Patrick, President of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        President of the Senate
     
        I hereby certify that the
    above Resolution was adopted by
    the Senate on April 24, 2023.
   
   
    ________________________________ 
        Secretary of the Senate
   
   
    ________________________________ 
         Member, Texas Senate