One sister prosecuted and one defended.
The story of how sisters Edna ’55 and Diana ’57 Cisneros pursued justice on opposite sides of the law.
Written by Liz Anderson Hilton
Photos from the Peregrinus Yearbook
At age 26, just one year after earning her Texas Law degree and becoming the first Latina admitted to the Texas Bar, Edna Cisneros ’55 (pictured on left) challenged a 16-year incumbent for District Attorney in her home county, Willacy County. She reportedly won her race by 300 votes, becoming the first prosecutor of Mexican descent in Texas and, at the time, the only female chief prosecutor in Texas.
Shortly after, Edna’s older sister, Diana Cisneros ’57, also passed the Texas bar exam and the two would square off in a 1958 robbery trial, the first of several in which Edna prosecuted a defendant represented by Diana.
The sisters, who lived together in a home on Pearl Street their father had purchased for all four daughters while attending UT, remained close. They shared a passion for justice nurtured by their parents, Benita De La Garza and Manuel Cisneros, local community leaders who owned a grocery store in Raymondville, the county seat.
In law school, the determined and talented sisters would have been one of three or four women in a class of 120 students. Given that women couldn’t serve on a jury in Texas until 1954 – an exclusion overturned by amendment to the Texas Constitution that November – their presence as Latina lawyers in the courtroom would have been not just exceptional, but also revolutionary.
Edna stood for re-election and served as chief prosecutor in Willacy County for 29 years before retiring. Diana practiced privately for most of those years until she passed away in 1992. These fearless sisters pursued justice for all.
“Framed” features stories behind the portraits, moments, and memorabilia of the Texas Law community.