(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Former El Paso federal judge Harry Lee Hudspeth dies [1] ['Daniel Perez', 'More Daniel Perez', 'El Paso Matters'] Date: 2024-04-08 Harry Lee Hudspeth, a former El Paso federal judge who expected a lot of himself and of those who sought justice in his court, died Sunday, April 7, in an Austin hospital. He was 88. Hudspeth had a stroke in early January and was hospitalized for about six weeks and then was under home-health care, according to family. He initially showed signs of improvement before his condition worsened this past weekend. He was rushed to the Ascension Seton Northwest Hospital Sunday and was diagnosed with pneumonia. His wife, Vicki, and one of their daughters, Melinda, were with him when he died. President Jimmy Carter nominated him to serve as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, which includes El Paso. He was in office from 1979 to 2001. He served as chief judge of the Western District from 1992 to 1999, and served almost 15 years as a senior judge by the time he retired on Jan. 31, 2016. One of the key cases that he heard during his time as a federal judge was Ysleta del Sur Pueblo v. Texas in the late 1980s. The tribe sought to protect its ability to offer legal gambling. Hudspeth ruled in favor of the Tiguas, but the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court undid the circuit court’s ruling. “I kind of modeled myself after him,” said Senior U.S. District Judge David Briones, who practiced in Hudspeth’s court a few times before he was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in 1994. He took senior status in 2009. “He was fair, he knew the law and he served El Paso faithfully.” He said that Hudspeth helped him learn how to handle his docket, and that he was always available to discuss a case and offer advice. He does the same for new judges. “As far as I’m concerned, he set the precedent for me,” Briones said. Family, friends and former colleagues described Hudspeth as fair, kind, funny and extraordinarily smart. Melinda Hudspeth said that her father was a very intelligent young man who skipped two grades in elementary school, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in government, completed the university’s School of Law, and earned his license to practice by age 22. One of his first clerks was Kathleen Anderson, who went on to serve as an associate judge in the 383rd District Court and El Paso County Court at Law No. 5. She called Hudspeth “brilliant” with a dry sense of humor, which he would incorporate into some of his decisions. She remembered one time when he included a quote from “Alice in Wonderland” in an opinion. “That was kind of fun,” she said. Anderson called him demanding, but fair, and well versed on many topics beyond the law. She said Hudspeth was an everyman who would bring a sack lunch that almost always included a banana and some cookies. He took regular walks during his lunch break to clear his head. One of his quirks was to go to Sunland Park Racetrack and bet on the longshots. “He was a very, very interesting person,” she said. “I can’t say enough good about him.” A portrait of former U.S. District Judge Harry Lee Hudspeth at the Albert Armendariz Sr. United States Courthouse in Downtown El Paso (Cindy Ramirez / El Paso Matters) Since his retirement, he spent a lot of time reading books about history as well as detective and mystery stories. Vicki Hudspeth said her husband also enjoyed opportunities to be involved with his beloved alma mater. He frequented events with campus organizations to converse with the professors. “He loved that school,” she said. Hudspeth was born Dec. 28, 1935, in Dallas to Harry Ellis and Hattilee (Dudney) Hudspeth. After law school, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve through 1959. He had numerous interests growing up. He took ballet lessons and was part of the track team and drama club. One of his classmates was acclaimed Hollywood cinematographer John Alonzo, whose credits include “Chinatown.” In a high school production, Alonzo played the judge and Hudspeth was his bailiff. Throughout his life, he was an avid filmgoer. Melinda said that her father was a “huge” fan of the Chicago White Sox, but was just as passionate about UT Austin athletics, especially baseball. He enjoyed watching the Longhorns’ women’s basketball team during the recent NCAA tournament. While in El Paso, he served on the Sun Carnival Association Board of Directors in 1976 and the Metropolitan YMCA El Paso board from 1980-88. Hudspeth is survived by his wife and daughters Melinda and Mary Kathryn (Lance) Peters of Lubbock, and a son, William, from a previous marriage. Funeral services are pending. [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2024/04/08/el-paso-u-s-district-judge-harry-lee-hudspeth-dies-obituary/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/