The University of Houston Law Center brought together six inspiring alumni judges for its 2025 Judicial Pioneers Heritage Celebration (L to R): The Honorable Raul A. Gonzalez (J.D. ’66), Honorable Juan F. Vasquez (J.D. ’77), Honorable Vanessa D. Gilmore (J.D. ’81) with UH Law Dean Leonard M. Baynes (center) and the Honorable Evelyn Keyes (J.D. ’87), Honorable James F. Kovach (J.D. ’91) and Honorable Frances Bourliot (J.D. ’07).
Oct. 10, 2025 ‒ The University of Houston Law Center honored six judicial pioneers at its Judicial Pioneers Heritage Celebration held on Sept. 26. The event showcased a range of professional accomplishments from the first Hispanic to serve on the Texas Supreme Court to, at the time of her appointment, the youngest judge ever appointed to the federal bench.
Their experiences cover a range of judicial posts, from Harris County Court-at-Law to the U.S. District Court bench. The six pioneers honored include:
Despite their wide-ranging backgrounds, the UHLC alumni shared a few common traits: Desire to serve their community, rigorous intellectual curiosity, and determination to work toward their goals.
UH Law Dean Leonard M. Baynes moderated a fireside chat with the trailblazing judges, highlighting their accomplishments and gathering their insight and wisdom for today’s students.
“These judicial pioneers remind us of the power of UH Law education in transforming lives. These judges are amazing representatives of our law school and our community; they have overcome major socioeconomic hurdles that would deter most people, but they often looked beyond these obstacles. That was their superpower for success,” Dean Baynes said. “I am so very proud of them. So proud that they prevailed. So proud that they are exemplars of our law school. So proud that they are able to share their wisdom and smarts with the next generation of UH Law students.”
Vasquez, who worked as an accountant before going to law school, said he never considered himself a role model in law school. But along the way, he questioned why Hispanic lawyers were nudged into family and immigration law. Why not tax law, he wondered. “Give us the opportunity,” he said.
Almost 50 years later, he’s still going strong, spending the past 30 years as a judge in U.S. Tax Court, a position he was first appointed to by President Bill Clinton.
Keyes, too, entered law school after earlier forays into other fields —at a time when few women entered law school and even fewer became practicing attorneys, she earned two doctoral degrees, in English literature and philosophy, before answering the call to the law.
She handled complex civil litigation in private practice, but was drawn to the bench, appointed by former Gov. Rick Perry to the First Court of Appeals in 2002 and winning election several times before her retirement in 2020. “I don’t think of myself as a pioneer, but I do think it’s important to do what you can do,” she said. “Working in law is very satisfying.”
Keyes and the other speakers noted that becoming a judge isn’t always easy.
“Nobody tells you, here’s a judgeship. You have to work for it,” Gonzalez said.
After serving as a state district court judge and judge for the 13th Court of Appeals, Gonzalez was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court and later successfully ran for reelection. He lamented the cost and politics involved in running for statewide judicial office but also recounted advice from a friend: You can’t be a good judge if you’re not a judge.”
Role model and responsibility
Serving as the first Hispanic on the state Supreme Court “is something I’m very proud of,” he said. “But it comes with a lot of responsibility.”
Gilmore agreed, noting that responsibility includes accepting the mantle of role model. “I took advantage of every opportunity to speak, to let people see me,” she said.
Gilmore, who retired in 2022 and now practices law in Houston, began her career with a commitment to community service, including serving on the board of the Texas Department of Commerce. Once nominated for a lifetime appointment on the federal bench, the confirmation process took 13 months.
“Representation matters,” Gilmore and other judges said.
Bourliot thought a lot about being the first former public defender elected to the appellate court. It wasn’t until she took office that she discovered she was the first Asian American woman elected to an intermediate appellate court in Texas.
“At the time I don’t think I understood the impact it had,” said Bourliot. But as she spoke at schools and elsewhere, she heard young girls say they didn’t know judges could look like she did – a young, Asian woman. “And I thought, well, I do.”
Not all of the pioneers celebrated during the event set out to serve on the bench.
“I was never going to be a judge,” Kovach said. “It was not on my radar.”
But as a commercial litigator who often represented people dealing with legal problems that seldom get attention outside of lower-level courts, he came to feel too many judges didn’t treat people with respect.
His husband encouraged him to run for judge and fix the system. Elected in 2018, Kovach became the first Democrat elected to Harris County Court at Law No. 2 in 30 years and the first openly gay person to serve in the county courts at law.
“Sometimes you have to take a risk,” he said. “It may not work out, but you’ll learn something along the way.”
A few words of advice
Bourliot agreed, with a caveat. Take the risk, she said, but also stay connected to your support network, “the people who remind you that yes, you can do this.”
And once you are on the bench, Vasquez said, “give it all you got. If you’re going to be a mechanic, a sanitation worker, be the best.” Even now, after three decades as a tax court judge, he strives to do that. “I try to learn the record better than the attorneys.”
Above all, Gonzalez said, new judges should be aware that becoming a judge isn’t like flipping a magic switch. It is, instead, something to grow into.
“The world is not black and white. There is no one-size-fits-all. My advice to a new judge would be, be open to learn.”
The event wrapped up with the dedication of UH Law’s Judicial Wall, a digital wall featuring the portraits of the honorees and other alumni judges.
View a photo gallery of the 2025 Judicial Pioneers Heritage Celebration.
