Juan Jasso
(58 pages)
Listen to the interview
Biography:
Born June 24, 1957. First Mexican American Municipal Judge for the City of Cockrell Hill in the Dallas metropolitan area. Ran for a newly created Justice of the Peace position in Dallas County as a result of single member district litigation in 1994. He was one of two Mexican Americans elected as the first Justice of the Peace in the county.
Interview Summary:
Judge Jasso details how he became a Justice of the Peace for Dallas County. He describes the roles that Domingo Garciá, Steve Salazar, and Roberto Alonzo played in the management of his election campaign in 1994. Judges Jasso talks about the types of legal cases he hears in this court, the organizational structure within the Justice of the Peace courts in Dallas County, and how staffing needs are determined. He elaborates upon his political activities while an undergraduate student at Pan American University where he received his undergraduate degree. He discusses the issues behind why he chose to leave Purdue University where he was on scholarship for his graduate degree, to attend the University of Houston Law School from which he received his law degree in 1986. Judge Jasso also talks about growing up as a child of migrant farm laborers and working in the fields in various parts of the United States. He tells about participating in the joint education/work experience program of the National Labor and Mental Retardation (MHMR) Board while he was doing undergraduate study. He concludes the interview with his family history and genealogy.
Locations of residence or activity:
Cockrell Hill/Dallas County
Interview Date:
2/8/1998