Clarification: Details have been added in beginning of the article to clarify where and when Gonzalo Curiel spoke.
In a speech today at Long Beach City College, Federal judge Gonzalo Curiel addressed President Donald Trump’s accusatory attacks over his Mexican heritage being a conflict of interest, presiding over the class-action lawsuit brought against Trump from students claiming Trump University had frauded them.
Curiel expressed how surreal it was for him to see his name mentioned in The New York Times, the Washington Post, and being discussed on CNN after Trump’s comments raised concerns of racism.
“To understand what was behind it, one appreciates that the person who made those comments had reasons to do that. He was concerned about what that litigation was doing in terms of impacting his campaign so I understood why he said what he did even if it wasn’t true,” Curiel said.
“It was something that I did not allow to distract me, because I know that probably would have been one of the reasons it was put out there – to distract me, to make me angry, and have me react in a way.”
Remaining firm on his decision in disregarding Trump’s comments; Curiel said that part of his job is learning not to take it personally when people don’t agree with his decisions.
Curiel discussed how stressed times have been because of the polarization taking place within politics today and how in recent years the Judiciary has been enacting and deciding on issues that are of great consequence to people who are interested in justice, our environment, and our economy.
“With the Judiciary being more front in center I expect that there is an additional level of stress that may arise in those cases for a judge. They have to learn that they can’t be distracted outside noise, they can’t be pulled by things like incivility and they have to do their best to apply the law,” Curiel said.
Curiel said he came to LBCC for the opportunity to reach out to members of the community, particularly younger people to encourage and inspire them away from being distracted by the polarization that currently exists.
Curiel was invited to speak at LBCC as part of a student equity event following the end of Latinx Heritage month, with the event at LAC.
Former President of the Latino Faculty Staff Association, Carlos Ramos, introduced Curiel to the audience and announced that audience members would have the opportunity to ask questions they may have for Curiel.
Curiel began by speaking about his parents beginnings in Mascota, Jalisco, a small Mexican town before moving to the U.S. where his father worked for the steels mills of East Chicago, Indiana, and later had four children, him being the youngest.
Curiel related the experiences that many children of immigrant families share with one another despite racial or ethnic background.
“It made for a great upbringing because I made friends with Puerto Ricans, Blacks, Whites, Indians, and we realized back then even as kids that there was very little that separated us from each other,” Curiel said.
“We all had one similar thread running through our lives; our parents who came to the United States to work and obtain a fair wage so that they could raise a family, and that’s what my parents did.”
Curiel’s mother began emphasizing the importance of education being the key for success at a very early stage in his life, sending Curiel and his siblings to Catholic schools and ensuring they attend mass every Sunday.
“We developed an appreciation for religion, family, and for our community,” Curiel said.
Speaking on the influence his parents immigrant background has had on his career, Curiel emphasized how his parents made sure that all their children understood the great opportunities that existed by being educationally prepared to take them.
“In my job today, I am often reminded of the sacrifices that my parents made, in many of the cases that I handle from my docket involve individuals who have arrived without papers and the court is required to consider what is the appropriate punishment,” Curiel continued.
“For those people who were lured to the United States for the same reasons that my parents were, the American dream, so you come to understand that there was no intent in coming here to engage in criminality but to raise a family and make contributions to this great nation.”
As a federal judge, Curiel recounts the negative comments that have been said about him and the decisions he has made in his job, saying “I don’t take it personal and I realize that people have very strong passionate views on things that they believe in and people they support but my mission is to move forward and not to get distracted by messages of hate.”
Curiel addressed an audience question on the mass incarceration of black and brown bodies within the U.S. criminal system.
“As a judge, I explain to juries all the time that when you’re a juror you are the judges of the facts and as judges of the facts you are to apply the law as I give it to you. Keep in mind that the law that I give to you isn’t necessarily a law that I, If I had been legislature, would have enacted for or voted for,” Curiel explained.
“The legislature has enacted laws which have produced mass incarceration, that’s something that I can’t get into because then I’d be pretending that I’m not only in the Judiciary but that somehow or another I have now expanded my powers to the executive to decide who gets prosecuted or the legislature and interpreting the law in a way that it was not intended.”
Curiel then continued to speak about the importance of communication for first-generation students towards their success in college, “It’s up to the individual student to reach out and not be afraid, sometimes first-generation students are afraid.”
“We are afraid to have our voices heard or afraid to ask because we don’t want to be seem as dumb but there’s nothing wrong in asking questions. In fact the only thing that would be wrong is in failing to ask when you don’t know the answer.”
Curiel declined to discuss the 2017 DACA lawsuit case saying, “I would never ever ever discuss a case that has been to the Supreme Court”.
With the event coming to a close, Curiel reminded the audience of why diversity is so important in ensuring the changes and progression that has happened in only fifty years continues on; without letting notions of differences from keeping us separated.