WASHINGTON, DC – Today, by unanimous vote, Commissioners of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights have concurred in President Joseph R. Biden’s designations of Rochelle Mercedes Garza as Chair and Victoria Frances Nourse as Vice-Chair. Marking a milestone for the Commission with Commissioner Garza as the youngest person to serve as Chair.
Ms. Garza is an attorney from the Rio Grande Valley currently serving as President of the Texas Civil Rights Project. In 2022, she became the democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General on a platform focused on voting rights, reproductive rights, and government accountability. She was the first Latina to be nominated in Texas history to run for Attorney General by any major party.
Professor Nourse is a Ralph V. Whitworth Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Executive Director of the Center on Congressional Studies at Georgetown Law. In 2015-2016, she served as Chief Counsel to the Vice President of the United States. Prior to that she served as an appellate lawyer in the Justice Department and Special Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Chair and Commissioners of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights serve six-year terms.
“My hope for this Commission is that together we can continue the legacy of bipartisan progress that has been made possible by the resilience of many generations of Americans before us. I accept President Biden’s nomination and I promise to work tirelessly, alongside my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, to ensure that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights remains a powerful force for change and progress in our country,” said new Commission Chair, Rochelle M. Garza.
“It’s a great honor to be nominated by the President, and I am so delighted to be Commissioner Garza's Veep,” said new Commission Vice-Chair, Victoria F. Nourse
The Commission offers heartfelt thanks to former Chair Norma V. Cantú for her two years of service to the Commission.
publicaffairs@usccr.gov