NBC Pays Tribute to the Late Justice Cruz Reynoso

NBC News paid tribute to Justice Cruz Reynoso, the civil rights icon, UC Davis Law professor emeritus and the first California Supreme Court justice, as one of the “Latinos we lost in 2021.” 

Reynoso died in May at age 90. He spent five decades working in public service, advocating for workers, immigrants and the indigent before becoming the first Latino member of the state Supreme Court in 1981, and the recipient, in 2000, of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton.

A UC Davis Law professor from 2001-06, he remained a vital part of the King Hall community for many years after retiring.

 “Cruz always encouraged young people to pursue their education,” Dean Kevin R. Johnson told NBC News. “He would say: ‘You don’t see a lot of people with names like Reynoso in places of high power, but it’s possible. You should think about it.’”