Filemon Vela, Jr.

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Filemon Vela, Jr.
Filemon Vela, Official Portrait, 113th Congress.jpg
Vela in 2012
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 34th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded by District established
Personal details
Born Filemon Vela, Jr.
(1963-02-13) February 13, 1963 (age 62)
Harlingen, Texas, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Rose Vela
Residence Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater Georgetown University
University of Texas School of Law
Occupation Attorney, Politician
Religion Catholicism
Website Representative Filemon Vela

Filemon Bartolome Vela, Jr. (born February 13, 1963)[1] is an American lawyer and politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Texas's 34th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Vela was born in Harlingen, Texas and raised in Brownsville, Texas. His father, Filemon Bartolome Vela, Sr., was a long-serving United States federal judge. The Reynaldo G. Garza-Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse in Brownsville is named in Judge Vela's honor. His mother, Blanca Sanchez Vela, served as Brownsville’s first female mayor from 1999 to 2003.[2][3][4]

Filemon attended Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, Texas, and went on to graduate from Georgetown University in 1985. During his time at Georgetown, he served as an intern at the Federal Judicial Center – the research and education agency of the federal judicial system. He also served as an intern in Congressman Solomon P Ortiz’s Washington, D.C. office. Vela earned his J.D. from University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1987.[2]

Law career

For more than 20 years, Filemon practiced law in South Texas, helping countless individuals seek justice in state and federal courts across the country. His legal practice focused on complex civil litigation. As a trial attorney, Filemon successfully represented clients who were the victims of racial discrimination, consumers who had been severely injured by defective products, and employees injured during work.

Some notable cases include Earl Shinhoster v. Ford Motor Company where Vela represented the family of deceased Director of the NAACP who was killed in a car rollover accident in what was the largest wrongful death settlements in Alabama history and Robert Trevino v. Walmart where Vela represented a group of American farm workers who were told they could not shop in a Mississippi store because of discrimination against Hispanics.[4]

As an attorney, Vela also represented several South Texas school districts. In Edinburg School District v. Landmark, Vela represented Edinburg to fight for more funding and in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District v. Landmark, he represented the district in fighting contractors accused of building another poorly constructed school facility.

[5]

U.S. House of Representatives

2012 election

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Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Texas, 2012 § District 34

Vela decided to run in the newly created Texas's 34th congressional district as a Democrat. In the May 29 primary, Vela ranked first in an 8-candidate field with 40% of the vote.[6] In the July 31 run-off primary, Vela defeated Denise Saenz Blanchard 67%-33%.[7][8]

In the general election, Vela defeated Republican Jessica Bradshaw 62% - 36%, winning the election.[9]

Tenure

In July 2013, he decided to quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus because of his opposition to the Hoeven-Corker Amendment that tied border security with a pathway to citizenship. He said “erecting more border fence drives a wedge between border communities which are culturally united.”[10][11]

Committee assignments

Personal life

Vela's wife, Rose, was a Republican justice on Texas’ 13th Court of Appeals from 2007 to 2012.[12]

References

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External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
District established
 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 34th congressional district
January 3, 2013 – present		 Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
359th		 Succeeded by
Ann Wagner
R-Missouri
  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 vela.house.gov
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  8. ↑ http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/july31_163_state.htm
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