Chicano/Hispanic Law Students Association :: The University of Texas School of Law

United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas
Brownsville Division

When Hilda G. Tagle was confirmed as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division, she became the first Hispanic woman in Texas to hold the position of federal district judge.

Judge Tagle was the first child and only daughter born to Manuel and Dolores Tagle, and she was raised in the South Texas town of Robstown. Although her mother encouraged her love of reading, she still insisted that Judge Tagle enroll in beauty school at the age of 15, so Judge Tagle could “have something to fall back on.” Being a dutiful daughter, Judge Tagle became a licensed beautician at the age of 16.

However, Judge Tagle knew she wanted a college education so bad she could taste it. After graduating from high school in 1965, she enrolled at Del Mar College, where she received an associate’s degree. She continued her studies at East Texas State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in library science. She went on to obtain her master’s degree in library science from North Texas State University in 1971 and worked as a librarian at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston for four years.

In 1975, Judge Tagle decided it was time for a career change, and entered the University of Texas School of Law in 1975, and graduated in August 1977. Judge Tagle returned to South Texas where she worked as an assistant city attorney for the City of Corpus Christi for a year. She was then recruited as a Nueces County assistant county attorney where she was one of very few women trying criminal jury cases. In 1980, she was recruited by the Nueces County District Attorney to prosecute felonies. After leaving the DA’s office, Judge Tagle practiced law and taught at Del Mar College for four years.

Her work in the courtroom and her reputation as a lawyer opened the door to her appointment as judge of Nueces County Court at Law in 1985, becoming the first Hispanic female judge in Nueces County, the first Hispanic female county court at law judge in Texas, and only the second Hispanic woman judge of a court of record in Texas.

On January 1, 1995, she took her oath as judge of the 148th District Court in Corpus Christi. In August, 1995, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton as U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas. Her nomination lapsed in August, 1996. She was nominated a second time by President Clinton in February, 1997, and was confirmed by the Senate in March, 1998.

Judge Tagle’s state and local bar and civic activities include co-chairing the 1992 State Bar of Texas annual meeting, the Resolutions and By-laws Revision committees of the Judicial Section, the Women and the Law Section Council, Opportunities for Minorities Committee. She also served on the Continuing Legal Education Committee.

Judge Tagle was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to the Judicial Education Executive Committee, and the Board of Law Examiners Character and Fitness Division, District 11 Committee on Admissions and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. In 1991, she was appointed by Governor Ann Richards to the Governor’s Commission for Women.

Judge Tagle was a charter member and founding chair of the Women Lawyers of the Coastal Bend. She was a charter member of the Mexican American Bar of the Coastal Bend. She was also a member of the Corpus Christi Bar Association and proposed and chaired its Lawyers for Literacy committee. She was a graduate of Leadership Corpus Christi, Class X and chaired the Class XX selection committee. She was a charter member of the Hispanic Women’s Network.

When she became a judge in 1985, Judge Tagle also became the parent of her 10 year old nephew Santiago. She soon learned that being a parent was a whole lot harder than she thought it was going to be, and that being a judge was much easier than being a parent. She also has concluded that the importance of her work as a judge pales in comparison to the importance of her work as a parent.

In 2001, Judge Tagle married her best friend of 30 years, Eddie Knebel, who was her roommate when she was a student at UT Law and he was a student at St. Edward’s University. Judge Tagle’s mentor was Irma Rangel.