Julio M. Fuentes

Julio M. Fuentes
Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office July 18, 2016
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office March 9, 2000 – July 18, 2016
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Robert Cowen
Personal details
Born	February 16, 1946 Humacao, Puerto Rico
Alma mater	Southern Illinois University B.A. New York University M.A. University at Buffalo Law School J.D. Rutgers University, Newark M.A.
Profession	Attorney

Julio M. Fuentes (born February 16, 1946) is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Fuentes is the first Hispanic judge to serve the Third Circuit.

Early life and education

Born on February 16, 1946, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Fuentes moved with his family from Puerto Rico to New York in 1950, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger. Fuentes' family settled in the South Bronx area of The Bronx, N.Y. and moved to New Jersey in 1955. Fuentes grew up in Toms River, New Jersey.^[1]

Fuentes earned a bachelor's degree in 1971 from Southern Illinois University. His time at SIU was interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Army, from 1966 through 1969.^[2] After completing the U.S. Army's Airborne, Ranger and Officer Candidate School, Fuentes served with the 8th Special Forces Group in Panama. He was honorably discharged with the rank of First Lieutenant. Fuentes also earned a master's degree in Latin American Studies from New York University in 1972. He then earned a law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975, and another master's degree in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University in 1993.^[3] In 2006, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Stillwater, Oklahoma.^{[4] [5]}

Legal career

Fuentes worked as lawyer in private practice from 1975 until 1981, and worked as a judge in the Newark Municipal Court from 1979 until 1987. He then served as a judge in New Jersey Superior Court in Essex County from 1987 until being confirmed to the Third Circuit in 2000.

Federal judicial service

Fuentes' name originally had been put forth for a District Court opening by then-Sen. Robert Torricelli of New Jersey. President Clinton's staff interviewed Fuentes and instead opted to bring forth Fuentes' name as a nominee at the circuit court of appeals level. Clinton nominated Fuentes to the Third Circuit seat on March 8, 1999. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved Fuentes' nomination on March 2, 2000, and the full U.S. Senate confirmed Fuentes by a 93-0 vote on March 7, 2000. Fuentes was sworn in on May 15, 2000.^[6] "I intend to honor this trust every day," Fuentes told a standing ovation as he was sworn in, according to a May 16, 2000 article in the Newark Star-Ledger. He took senior status on July 18, 2016.

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans

References

1. The Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, June 2004
2. http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol4n20/PRJurist-en.html
3. Judge Julio Fuentes FJC Bio
4. http://www.wrestlingusa.com/ewExternalFiles/Rutgers%20Wrestling%20to%20Honor%20N.J.%20Members%20of%20National%20Wrestling%20HOF%20at%20MSU%20Match.pdf
5. http://nwhof.org/stillwater/hall-of-fame/#type=hof&honoree=1361
6. "THOMAS" Julio Fuents USCA, 3d Cir. confirmation:PN126-106

External links

• Julio M. Fuentes at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.