Justice Carlos Moreno was recently nominated by President Obama
We’ve just received word that US President Barrack Obama has nominated a new ambassador to Belize, and by all indications Justice Carlos Moreno sounds like a very good choice.
According to a July 8 USA Today Report, Obama has tapped Carlos Roberto Moreno, a former federal district judge who also served on California’s state Supreme Court to be the next ambassador to Belize, subject to senate confirmation.
In the same announcement, Obama nominated Mark Childress as U.S. envoy to Tanzania, and had this to say about both men;
“These dedicated and accomplished individuals will be valued additions to my administration as we tackle the important challenges facing America. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
It says something about the importance President Obama places on Belize that he chose a man of Mr Moreno’s talents and stature to represent the United States here.
Prior to serving on California’s highest court, Mr Moreno had been appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by then President Bill Clinton. He has also served on the Los Angeles Superior Court, and the Compton Municipal Court.
In addition to having impressive legal credentials, Mr Moreno has an interesting personal history. According to Wikipedia, he is the son of a Mexican immigrant mother who arrived in the US “with few skills and no resources after the death of his father” and grew up in a home where Spanish was the first language and where no family member had an education beyond high school.
Mr Moreno not only made it through high school, he went on to graduate from Yale University in 1970. He said that after realising how much his education allowed him to help people close to him, he decided to study law so that he could help others.
He graduated from the prestigious Stanford law School in 1975 and went on to become Deputy City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles.
By any estimation, it’s been a very impressive career.
In a speech at the UC Davis School of Law, he told the students, “I never in my wildest dreams thought that I could become one of seven judges on the highest court in the state. I want to emphasize to you the idea that no matter what your dreams may be, you can follow them.”
We feel that this is just the sort of person to be the US representative in a vibrant new democracy like Belize, where dreams are followed and realised every day.
And while he hasn’t been a member of the diplomatic corps before, he said that his previous experience has prepared him for the ambassadorship;
“As a judge and a lawyer I’ve had to listen carefully, consider soberly and decide fairly, and to speak in measured tones,” he said. “I think all of those attributes apply to being a representative of the United States abroad.”
Mr Moreno said he had visited Belize some years ago with the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association and is looking forward to indulging his interest in Maya Archaeology. He also sounds as if he’ll be spending some time enjoying Belize’s many Caribbean attractions, having said that Belize is “a great area for diving and any kind of sea-related activities.”
There you go. An obviously talented, self-made man from humble beginnings who is interested in Maya archaeology and appreciates Belize’s Caribbean seacoast. All things considered, it sounds like an auspicious start, and we wish Justice Moreno best of luck with the senate confirmation and hope to welcome him to our shores in the near future.