Recognizing and honoring Cristina M. Rodríguez for her historic appointment as dean of Yale Law School.

119 HRES 1012 IH: Recognizing and honoring Cristina M. Rodríguez for her historic appointment as dean of Yale Law School. U.S. House of Representatives 2026-01-21 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IV 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1012 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 21, 2026 Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself and Ms. DeLauro ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce RESOLUTION Recognizing and honoring Cristina M. Rodríguez for her historic appointment as dean of Yale Law School. Whereas Cristina M. Rodríguez, the Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law at Yale Law School, was selected to serve as the dean of Yale Law School by a search committee of distinguished law school faculty members in December 2025; Whereas she will assume the deanship on February 1, 2026, as the Sol and Lillian Goldman Dean and Professor of Law at Yale Law School, marking a historic transition in the leadership of one of the Nation’s most prestigious legal institutions; Whereas Cristina M. Rodríguez was born in San Antonio, Texas, earned her bachelor of arts from Yale College, received her master of letters from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned her juris doctor from Yale Law School; Whereas Cristina M. Rodríguez was the first tenured Hispanic law professor at Yale Law School, trailblazing a path for future generations of Hispanic legal scholars; Whereas Christina M. Rodríguez will be the first Latina and second woman to hold the position of dean at Yale Law School since its founding; Whereas Cristina M. Rodríguez is a distinguished scholar who has authored more than 70 academic articles and essays on constitutional law, administrative governance, and immigration law, establishing herself as a preeminent thought leader in the legal community; Whereas Cristina M. Rodríguez is a principled leader and venerated educator who serves as a devoted mentor to her students; Whereas Cristina M. Rodríguez’s distinguished career in public service includes serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel at the United States Department of Justice; Whereas, in 2021, Dean Rodríguez was appointed to cochair the bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, providing vital leadership on matters of national judicial importance; and Whereas the presence of experienced, highly credentialed legal professionals in leadership roles at academic institutions is essential to the integrity of legal education: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) honors Cristina M. Rodríguez for her landmark appointment as dean of Yale Law School; (2) recognizes the significance of Cristina M. Rodríguez becoming the first Latina to lead Yale Law School and the inspiration her leadership provides to the legal profession; (3) acknowledges the importance of having leaders in academia who possess a deep mastery of the law and a commitment to public service; and (4) encourages all law professors, following the example of Dean Rodríguez, to— (A) invest in the success and mentorship of every student; and (B) honestly and diligently teach the rule of law and the United States Constitution.