Attorney Anastacio (Trae) Mindiola represents clients in civil matters through his Houston law firm. A graduate of the South Texas College of Law, Anastacio Mindiola garnered numerous honors while pursuing his JD, including the Judge James DeAnda Houston Hispanic Bar Association Scholarship.
Born in Houston in 1925, James DeAnda enjoyed a distinguished law career that saw him advance the civil rights of Hispanic people, and later accept a seat on the federal bench.
To many, he is best known for his work as a young Houston lawyer in the 1950s. During this time, Mr. DeAnda played a leading role in Hernandez v. Texas, a case in which the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Hispanic people have the same constitutional protections under the 14th Amendment as other racial groups.
Mr. DeAnda subsequently served as lead counsel in another landmark case affecting the civil rights of Hispanic people. Decided in 1957, Hernandez v. Driscoll Independent School District culminated in a federal court ordering that the district, which comprised so-called Mexican schools, desegregate.
Continuing his advocacy for Hispanic people into the 1960s, Mr. DeAnda assisted in the formation of the Texas Rural Legal Assistance Organization and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund. In 1979, he accepted an appointment from President Jimmy Carter to serve as a judge for the Southern District of Texas. Mr. DeAnda became chief judge of the district court in 1988, maintaining this post until his 1992 retirement.
James DeAnda returned to private practice in Houston following the end of his tenure as a judge. A longtime resident of the city, he continued to call Houston home until his death in 2006.
