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Daniel
C. Moreno
Originally published in
the November 2006 issue.
Author: Brian Slouvut
Judge Daniel C.
Moreno’s parents, Celia and Delphino, held the Bible as he was
sworn in as a Hennepin County District Court judge in May of
this year. Judge Moreno considers his appointment to the bench
as much his parents’ accomplishment as his own. His parents
taught Moreno the importance of education, hard work, and civic
responsibility.
Judge Moreno’s
parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the late
1950s. As children, his parents had little opportunity for
education; neither had the chance to attend school past the 10th
grade. They were determined, though, to make their children’s
lives different. To make this happen, they immigrated to the
United States, initially living in Texas. Then, they moved to
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where there was a better educational
system. Lake Geneva is where Moreno and his four siblings grew
up.
The importance
of hard work was stressed in the Moreno household. His father
always said, “You don’t sit around if you could be working.”
His father worked as a cement layer and carpenter for the same
company for 45 years, retiring about five years ago. His mother
worked in a factory. Holidays for the Morenos did not mean a
time to rest, but rather a time to earn extra money for the
family. (Moreno said his family was concerned when his father
was forced to retire because free time had never been part of
his life. They had no need for concern, though. His father is
now a voracious reader.)
Judge Moreno
took his parents’ lesson to heart, beginning work as a child
mowing lawns and shoveling driveways. Moreno’s job during
breaks from the University of Wisconsin illustrates his work
ethic. He worked at a meat packing plant, starting out at five
in the morning lugging meat and working until seven at night
washing smocks. He enjoyed the hard work and made many friends
at the plant. But the work also enhanced his appreciation of
college and the opportunities it presented. Many of his friends
at the plant were only there because they lacked the education
necessary to give them options. Judge Moreno was determined to
have options.
Judge Moreno’s
parents also stressed the importance of education—believing that
“education was the vehicle to go places.” His father did not
just say this, but also took action to make sure Moreno did not
stray from the education path. Before working at the meat
packing plant, Moreno worked at a construction site with his
father. After two weeks of working at a variety of construction
jobs that he enjoyed, Judge Moreno found himself doing nothing
but working with an air hammer eight to 10 hours per day.
Moreno believes his father made this happen so that he would not
get any ideas of forgoing college for construction work.
The emphasis on
education paid off. Moreno and his four siblings all had the
opportunity to attend college. Two completed graduate
programs—Moreno with his law degree from the University of
Minnesota, and one of his siblings with a master’s degree in
anthropology. His mother had not even imagined that her
children would achieve so much; of his appointment to the bench,
Judge Moreno’s mother said, “We dreamed that you boys would
graduate high school. This is even beyond my expectations.”
Judge Moreno
also credits his parents with teaching him the importance of
civic responsibility. His dedication to civic responsibility
has been shown both by his career path and his volunteer
activities.
Until taking
the bench, Moreno devoted his legal career to representing
clients who could not afford an attorney. While a law student
at the University of Minnesota, Moreno worked as a law clerk in
the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office. He joined that
office after graduation. Moreno brings to the bench extensive
court experience, having tried more than 30 jury trials and
represented thousands of clients in all phases of felony and
misdemeanor criminal proceedings.
Judge Moreno’s
public service has primarily focused on helping the Latino
community. He was a founding member of the Minnesota Hispanic
Bar Association, serving as a board member from 1990 until
2002. For eight years, Moreno worked with Centro Cultural
Chicano, a public service organization aimed at empowering the
Chicano/Latino community by providing services that eliminate
barriers to self-sufficiency. He has also advised both the
City of Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota on issues
relating to the Latino community, as part of the Mayor’s Latino
Advisory Committee and the University President’s Latino
Advisory Committee.
Judge Moreno
said that he is the only male Latino judge in Hennepin County
and that his judgeship sends a very positive message to the
Latin community. He considers himself a role model and said
that he will set the best example that he can. He does not,
though, see himself as a Latino or a Mexican-American judge: he
is a “judge for everybody” and will serve “without fear or favor
of any ethnic group.”
Judge Moreno
has seen improvement in the treatment of Latino participants in
Hennepin County courtrooms. As an example, he cited the fact
that when he first started in the Public Defender’s Office,
there was only one Spanish-speaking interpreter. This was a
problem because there are significant differences in the way the
Spanish language is spoken by individuals from different
countries. Translation, therefore, would not be precise by the
interpreter. Also, Moreno pointed out that it was not uncommon
in the early days for an attorney to ask a lengthy question or a
witness to provide a long answer and the interpreter would then
provide a very short translation. Fortunately, the number of
and the expertise of interpreters have greatly increased over
the years, helping Spanish-speaking and other non-English
speakers access the courts. “Hennepin County District Court is
to be commended on improving services to non-English-speaking
communities,” noted Moreno.
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