Courthouse renamed for Zaffirini

First local government building named after a woman in Texas

The Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini Justice Center was dedicated on Tuesday, December 10, in Laredo, marking the first local courthouse named after a woman in Texas.
Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina and County Commissioners Wawi Tijerina, John Galo, Jesse Gonzalez and Ricky Jaime voted unanimously to rename the courthouse last February, soon after Senator Zaffirini became the first woman dean of the Texas Senate.
“My name may be on the building,” Sen. Zaffirini said, “but it represents the hundreds of judges, attorneys, advocates, staff and others who have collaborated over the years to enhance access to justice for all.”
The dozens of judges from the federal, state and local levels of government who attended the renaming ceremony included Judge Andy Oldham of the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, who introduced Sen. Zaffirini at the celebratory luncheon; Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who introduced her at the dedication, and six other justices of the Texas Supreme Court; Chief Justice Rebeca Martinez and justices, 4th Court of Appeals; and district, county, county court-at-law, justice of the peace and municipal judges.

District 21 Senator Judith Zaffirini, dean of the Texas Senate and representative for South Texas between the border and San Antonio, speaks at the dedication of the Webb County Courthouse in Laredo in her honor earlier this month.
(Courtesy photo: Steve Benesh)

Dean Sen. Zaffirini made history as the first woman Dean of the Senate last Dec. 31. She succeeds 24 men who have held the title since 1909, when it was first assigned to the longest-serving senator. The seventh of only 25 women who have served with 952 male senators in 88 Texas Legislatures, she and Eddie Bernice Johnson joined Cyndi Krier in 1987, marking the first time more than one woman served in the 31-member body. Today there are nine women senators.
Sen. Zaffirini is also the namesake of the student success center at Texas A&M International University; an elementary school, library, park, road and soccer mini-pitch in Laredo; a patient suite at the UT Dell Seton Medical Center; four endowed scholarships; and two grant programs.
The Texas legislator is a native of Laredo and became the first Mexican-American woman elected to the Texas Senate, where she has served in the Democratic Party since 1987. She represents District 21, a region covering several South Texas counties from the Mexican border to San Antonio, including La Salle. During her career, the senator has passed 1,388 bills, making her the most successful in doing so in the state’s history. In the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature, she expects to continue building on her history of 72,132 consecutive votes in Texas government, a state and national record. She has pre-filed 34 bills for the session, which begins in January.