Appointed by Bill Clinton Preceded by Emilio M. Garza | Name Orlando Garcia | |
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Alma mater University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas School of Law Education University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas School of Law | ||
Orlando Luis Garcia (born 1952) is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and former Texas state legislator.
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Education and career
Born in Jim Wells County, Texas, Garcia received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1978. He was in private practice in San Antonio, Texas from 1978 to 1990, and a Texas state representative from 1983 to 1991. From 1991 to 1992 he was a judge of the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals.
Federal judicial service
He was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1993, to a seat which had been vacated by Emilio M. Garza over two years before. Garcia was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 10, 1994, and received his commission on March 11, 1994. He became Chief Judge on January 1, 2016.
Same-sex marriage
On February 26, 2014 in San Antonio, Garcia overturned the Texas ban on same-sex marriage, ruling that the prohibition is unconstitutional and stigmatizes the relationship of gay couples in the conservative state. He stayed his ruling pending appeal.