Rochelle Garza

Rochelle Garza is an attorney from the Rio Grande Valley currently serving as President of the Texas Civil Rights Project, one of the most influential legal organizations dedicated to empowering Texas communities and creating policy changes in the state. Rochelle has the honor to be appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by President Biden where she will serve as Chair until 2028. The USCCR is the oldest independent and bipartisan commission in the U.S. created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957. In 2022, Rochelle 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. Rochelle is the daughter of two public school teachers. At a young age, Rochelle learned firsthand how broken our healthcare system is. Her oldest brother, Robby, suffered a brain injury during childbirth and grew up with disabilities. Rochelle watched her parents work tirelessly to ensure Robby had the care he needed. Like so many families, she knows what it’s like to make sacrifices for the health of her family. So Rochelle became a lawyer for the people –– fighting for the civil rights of children, immigrants and families and has expertise in immigration, family, criminal and constitutional law. Her work has had broad impacts on civil rights, including the “Garza Notice,” a federal requirement that ensures teens in immigration detention control their reproductive health care choices, which is still in effect today.
Rochelle graduated from the University of Houston Law Center and from Brown University with honors. She lives with her husband, Adam, their toddler daughter, and their dog, Ramses, in Brownsville, Texas.