But with faith in himself and the values of our country, Cruz Reynoso went on to college and to law school, but never forgot his roots. He worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and led the pioneering California Rural Legal Assistance program. In 1976, he was appointed Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeals and rose to become the first Latino to serve on the state's highest court....

Today he continues to labor in the fields of justice, serving as vice chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, opening new doors for Latino lawyers, and teaching a new generation of students the world of law. Not long ago, the person his classmates once called "el profi was voted by his own students Professor of the Year....

Commander, read the citation.

The son of farm workers, Cruz Reynoso has devoted his life to ending discrimination, fighting for immigrant rights, and promoting equal opportunity. Through his efforts to address social inequality in his rural community, his leadership of the pioneering California Rural Legal Assistance program, his tenure as the first Latino on the California Supreme Court, and his service on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, he has been a strong force for change and a passionate voice for our nation's disadvantaged. Respected for his legal expertise and renowned for his compassion, Cruz Reynoso has earned his place as one of America's most distinguished lawyers, jurists and social reformers. (Applause.)...