WASHINGTON, D.C., October 9, 2025 – Alliance for Justice has issued the latest volume in its Faces of Justice series, highlighting the diversity among state supreme court justices. Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs September 15–October 15, the new report profiles the 52 justices of Hispanic descent who have served on states’ highest courts, including the 20 actively serving on 13 courts right now.
The report draws focus to the states where Hispanic justices have played a significant role, such as New Mexico, which has the highest population of Hispanic residents and unsurprisingly has had the most Hispanic state supreme court justices: 12, including the first in the country, Eugene D. Lujan, elected in 1944.
Still, there are also states with significant Hispanic populations that have never had a Hispanic justice, such as Nevada, Illinois, North Carolina, and Georgia. All four rank among the top 10 states with the highest Hispanic population, but none has yet to have a Hispanic justice serve on its highest court.
Tish Gotell Faulks, state courts director at Alliance for Justice, issued the following statement:
“State supreme courts play a huge role in our lives, and that’s increasingly true as the U.S. Supreme Court washes its hands of protecting our civil rights and the rule of law at the federal level. We know that acknowledging the deeply rooted traditions of the Hispanic community — the common occurrences that shape the lived experiences of these immigrants, indigenous cultures, and their diversifying histories in the United States — contributes to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the diverse populations that come before the courts.
“Alliance for Justice is proud to highlight the many Hispanic justices who have helped shape the law across the country. As the largest minority group in the United States, this group is still overwhelmingly underrepresented in our judiciary, but the 52 justices profiled in this report have nonetheless made significant contributions. Hopefully, the next time we update this report, there will be far fewer states left who have never seen a Hispanic justice on their highest court.”
Click here to read the full report.
Click here to review the full Faces of Justice report series.