San Antonio Express 10/9/09
Perry appoints first Latina to high court

HOUSTON — Appeals court Judge Eva Guzman, the child of an immigrant welder and cleaning lady, became the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court when Gov. Rick Perry appointed her at a ceremony here Thursday.

"I will continue to prepare and serve the people of Texas to the best of my ability," Guzman said. "I will work as hard or harder, though that could be tough to do since I throw myself into my work — work and family."

Some of her family, including baby twin nephews, were in attendance Thursday in a touching announcement ceremony in the packed library of Guzman's alma mater, Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston's East End.

There, Perry hailed Guzman as "a strict constructionist with an unmatched work ethic" and a "principled conservative."

Until she was sworn in after the formal event, she sat on the Houston-based Texas 14th Court of Appeals, where she's written more than 900 opinions and gained a good reputation among local bar lawyers. Perry appointed Guzman to that bench in 2001, and she won election to it in 2002 and 2004.

Guzman, 48, replaces Houston's Scott Brister, who stepped down from the Supreme Court in September to go into private practice.