José A. Cabranes, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, Portrait Dedication [16:50-21:00]

of the Board of Espira of New York, an organization devoted to helping inner city Hispanic youth prepare for college. He later served as the special counsel to the governor of Puerto Rico and head of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's office in Washington, D.C. He has been a mentor to countless young people who share his heritage. One former research assistant, said of Judge Cabronna's, Jose helped us to integrate the two parts of our identity to be comfortable in our skin. He has rightly been called a hero of the Hispanic community. In 1975, Judge Cabronna's returned to New Haven when Yale President Kingman Brewster tapped him to become the very first general counsel of Yale University. And that was the beginning of a career in service to his alma mater that has included more than a decade as a trustee of the Yale Corporation. Four years after that, another president came calling. Jimmy Carter named Judge Cabronna's to a seat on the district court, making him the first Puerto Rican to serve as a federal judge on the mainland. One New York Times article characterized his tenure this way, I'm quoting now. Prosecutors and defense lawyers alike describe him as intelligent and as fair. They also say that the judge, known to talk to Hispanic plaintiffs and defendants in Spanish, rules with compassion. After 15 years on the court, including two as the chief judge, President Clinton elevated Judge Cabronna's to the second circuit. At the confirmation hearing for his new appointment, he earned praise from all sides of the political spectrum. Senator Orrin Hatch called him one of the premier judges in the country. Senator Joe Lieberman called him an extraordinary human being. And Senator Chris Dodd said he defies traditional, superficial ideological labeling. Asked if the nominee was a liberal or a conservative, Senator Dodd said, I'd answer that by saying, Jose Cabronna's is a judge. The spirit of that judicial independence and care has defined Judge Cabronna's 17 years on the second circuit. He has been called a judge's judge and he has been lauded for his scholarly excellence. He has authored opinions on virtually every area of law and has made particular contributions in international law, criminal procedure, and sentencing, a subject that he has also addressed in his significant academic publications. As we dedicate this portrait today, we pay tribute to Judge Cabronna's lifelong devotion to the rule of law. His law school contemporary and friend, former Attorney General Michael Mukhazy, put his finger on Judge Cabronna's unique role in our judiciary when he said, and I'm quoting, he's not Dr. Nair, he's somebody who applies the law as it is written. We at the Yale Law School welcome this portrait of Judge Cabronna's today, not merely because of his outstanding achievements on the bench. We instead and also hold him up as a role model to our students because of his character and his integrity, because of his strength of mind and judgment, and because he has used these virtues to craft a shining example of a life well lived in the law. As my predecessor Dean Harold co-put it, not for a second has Judge Cabronna's forgotten where he came from or what his life's success has meant. Along the way he has inspired the intense affection of generations of his law clerks, including many from this law school. I know of few judges who are loved so well by those who have reason to know them best. So now when this portrait assumes its rightful place on our walls, generations of students to come will look up to Judge Cabronna's, and they will be inspired to learn the story of his life, and it is in my hope that in this way his influence will extend for a long time to come.