Reynoso's Later Life
After leaving the Court, Justice Reynoso continued to use his legal expertise for various causes, including the California Postsecondary Education Committee and the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Between these appointments, he also served as a law professor at UCLA and became the first holder of the Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality at UC Davis’s Law School in 2001.
"I grew up as a farm worker, sometimes migrant. I grew up believing that God entrusted us with this world, to protect and to pass it on whole to the next generation. We must fulfill that trust -- an endangered world affects all of us, farmworker or farmer, factory worker or corporate CEO, resident of our country or another." - Cruz Reynoso (c. 1991)
This quote is taken from a press release announcing Reynoso's appointment as a Law Professor at UCLA. It exemplifies the trajectory of his later life, which was devoted to promoting education, his view of justice, and civic engagement for all people.
Letter from Reynoso to Christopher Call (1986)
After Reynoso's loss, Willamette University Law professors expressed interest and support for appointing the former Justice as Dean of the College of Law. For personal reasons, Reynoso decided to withdraw his name from consideration. However, this would not signal the end of his time in academia.
Ephemera from Reynoso's Appointment to the California Postsecondary Education Comission [CPEC] (1987)
Card to Reynoso from former Chief Justice Rose Bird (1990)
Former Chief Justice Rose Bird wrote this card to Reynoso to congratulate him on being hired as a professor at UCLA. In this card, Bird informs Reynoso that she is moving out of the state because "it is not possible to function professionally when your very name is a symbol of all that is negative." While Reynoso continued to have a successful career after serving on the Supreme Court, former Chief Justice Bird did not have the same experience. When Bird passed away, Reynoso wrote a kind obituary for her in the Summer 2000 edition of the Boalt Hall Transcript reflecting that "history will note her trailblazing career and the good she did."
Letters from Mario Obledo of the National Rainbow Coalition (1993)
Mario Obledo of the National Rainbow Coalition, wrote letters in support of Cruz Reynoso's consideration as Dean of the UC Davis Law School. He references a few years before, in which Justice Reynoso was considered for the position but abruptly dropped from consideration based on a "lack of consensus." In his oral history, Reynoso attributes this to the animosity of George Deukmejian.
Letter from Ello Carrillo to Cruz Reynoso (1993)
As a law professor, Reynoso played a part in resolving a student-led hunger strike at UCLA in 1993. These students worried that due to budget cuts, that the Chicana/o Studies program, which was part of an interdisciplinary unit, would be shut down. However, their efforts "were central to the establishment of the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o [Studies]." For more information, please visit UCLA Library's page on this event.
Cruz Reynoso Image and Quote from UCLA Course Catalog (1996-1997)
Program from the 30th Anniversary Celebration of La Raza Cultural Days de UC Davis (1999)
Before Reynoso became a law professor at UC Davis, he visited the campus many times. Before this, he came to speak to student groups, presided over UC Davis Law's Moot Court events, and was a guest speaker to local groups. As seen in this program, Reynoso was a UCLA professor speaking on "Access to Higher Education."
Brochure Announcing Reynoso as the Inaugural Holder of the Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality (2001)
Invitation to Cruz Reynoso's Inaugural Lecture (2001)
Cover of King Hall Counselor (2001)
Article on Cruz Reynoso's Appointment as Boochever and Bird Chair for the Study and Teaching of Freedom and Equality, King Hall Counselor (2001)
"A Call for Tolerance: The Aftermath of the Tragedy of September 11, 2001" (2001)
Letter from Reynoso to La Tribuna Editor Bill Larenas (2001)
Cruz Reynoso served as the Vice-Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and used his influence to support social justice and equity across the country. One of the most notable investigations during his time on the Commission was voting irregularities following the 2000 election. In this letter, he responds to a critic who spread misinformation about voting discrepancies.
"Voting Rights: A View from Florida," UCLA Law Magazine (2001)
"How can the right to vote be assured to each individual citizen? And how can that citizen be assured that each vote will be counted? These are the basic questions being explored by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on which I serve as Vice Chair"
Justice Reynoso passed away in May 2021, at the age of 90. He truly lived a life dedicated to those around him. In preparing this project, the researchers marvelled at the number of positions he held and struggled to place everything into a single exhibit. However, he was never one for self-promotion or self-aggrandizement. Instead, he consistently did his best in whatever capacity he served and his example should serve as a model for integrity and public service for many leaders across California. We hope that this exhibit properly honors his legacy and welcome any interaction, including comments and remarks. For more about contact information, please visit the About page.
For any K-12 teachers, an accompanying curriculum project is expected to launch in Fall 2022. We will have curriculum sets for 2nd, 4th, 11th, and 12th grade history and ethnic studies classes. Please visit the California History-Social Science Project website for more information.