Orlando Luis Garcia

Orlando Garcia
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2016
Preceded by	Samuel Frederick Biery Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
Incumbent
Assumed office March 11, 1994
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Emilio M. Garza
Personal details
Born	1952 (age 71–72) Jim Wells County, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin University of Texas School of Law

Orlando Luis Garcia (born 1952) is the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and former Texas state legislator.

Born in Jim Wells County, Texas, Garcia received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1978. He was in private practice in San Antonio, Texas from 1978–1990, and a Texas state representative from 1983-1991. From 1991 to 1992 he was a judge in the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals.

He was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 19, 1993, to a seat which had been vacated by Emilio M. Garza over two years before. Garcia was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 10, 1994, and received his commission on March 11, 1994. He became Chief Judge on January 1, 2016.

Same-sex marriage

On February 26, 2014 in San Antonio, Garcia overturned the Texas ban on same-sex marriage, ruling that the prohibition is unconstitutional and stigmatizes the relationship of gay couples in the conservative state. He stayed his ruling pending appeal.

Sources

• Orlando Luis Garcia at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by Unknown	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 115 (San Antonio) 1983–1991	Succeeded by Leticia R. Van de Putte
Legal offices
Preceded by Samuel Frederick Biery Jr.	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas 2016–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Emilio M. Garza	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas 1994–present