Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month With The Hon. Mario Garcia

On Friday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m. EDT, the United States District Court, Bankruptcy Court, and Probation Office for the Southern District of Indiana and the Indiana State Bar Association Latino Affairs Committee will host their sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. This year, the keynote address will be given by the Hon. Mario Garcia, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and first Hispanic judge appointed to the Court. Limited in-person seating is available. Virtual participation will also be offered.

Judge Garcia will speak about his family, his personal and professional background, and how his life experiences – and those of his ancestors – led him to the federal bench.

Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt will make opening remarks, and musical entertainment will round out the program.

Judge Garcia was sworn in as a Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on April 5, 2021. He was appointed to a new magistrate judgeship created for the Southern District of Indiana by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Judge Garcia is a 1995 graduate of Ball State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice and criminology. He studied law at the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, where he graduated in 1999. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Garcia joined the firm of Brattain & Minnix (later known as Brattain Minnix Garcia). He became a partner in the firm in 2008.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Garcia was a member of the Southern District of Indiana’s Criminal Justice Act panel, through which he represented indigent litigants. He also provided pro bono services for 10 years to participants in the District Court’s Re-Entry and Community Help (REACH) Program, which helps individuals re-entering society after incarceration obtain access to housing, employment, and public assistance programs. Judge Garcia has served on the United States Sentencing Commission’s Practitioner’s Advisory Group as the Seventh Circuit Representative and on the District Court’s Local Rules Advisory Committee for the Southern District of Indiana.

A Hispanic Heritage Month Program: One Judge’s Journey will last one hour and one hour of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit has been approved. Pre-registration is required and is available by emailing [email protected]. Please indicate your preference for virtual or in-person attendance. There is no cost to attend, and the program is open to the public.