WASHINGTON  -- The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) applauds PresidentBarack H. Obama's decision to nominate Judge Marco Hernandez to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, and JudgeDiana Saldana to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.  Both of these nominees have stellar qualifications as well as a proven record of public service. The HNBA urges the U.S. Senate to confirm them expeditiously.  

Roman D. Hernandez, HNBA National President, stated, "Judge Hernandez and Judge Saldana are exemplary attorneys who have excelled in the legal profession throughout their careers. We are proud to have supported their candidacy and to see them nominated by the President.  Their vast legal and judicial experience has well-prepared them to serve with distinction on the federal court."

Judge Hernandez has extensive experience as a trial court judge, and a strong record of service to the Oregon community.  He began as a prosecutor and subsequently a civil legal services staff attorney, but for most of his career he has been a circuit court judge in Washington County.  In that capacity, he has presided over complex criminal and civil cases. During his longstanding career, Judge Hernandez has been highly regarded among his colleagues and counsel for his experience, knowledge and commitment to service.  He has led initiatives to make the courts more responsive to the community, and he volunteers to work with law students and with organizations to help improve access to justice.

Likewise, Judge Saldana has dedicated her legal career to litigation in the private and public sectors.  Judge Saldana has served as a United States Magistrate in the Laredo  Division since 2006.  She has also served as a staff attorney for the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Previously, Judge Saldana worked in the U.S. attorney's office in Houston, and in private practice at Beirne, Maynard & Parsons LLP.

President Hernandez concluded, "HNBA members are leaders in diverse substantive areas of the law whose expertise is being recognized by the broader legal community and President Obama.  We hope to see additional nominations of qualified Hispanic lawyers and judges so that the federal judiciary reflects the community that it serves."

The HNBA is an incorporated, not-for-profit, non-partisan, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, legal professionals, and law students of Hispanic descent in the United States, its territories and Puerto Rico.  For more information about the HNBA, please visit www.hnba.com.