On the recordDecember 15, 2022
This is a great country. I rise to honor the life and legacy of Judge James Ortega Perez. Part of the Greatest Generation, Judge Ortega Perez grew up in my district, in a segregated community, a farmworker. When World War II started, he answered the call of duty and joined the Army where he served as a sergeant with the Army Corps of Engineers. After fighting for this great country, he came back and finished his high school graduation at Santa Ana High School, but he wasn't done. Then he enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he got a bachelor's degree and then went on to USC Law School. He then became the first Latino attorney in Orange County, California. Then he was appointed as the first Latino judge in Orange County, California. It is a great country. Judge Ortega Perez went from being a farmworker to the halls of justice in Orange County. Today, we honor the life and legacy of Judge Ortega Perez. ____________________
