American Bar Association
The American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities will present Norma V. Cantú and Iván Espinoza-Madrigal with the 2026 Impacto Award at the inaugural Titans for Change Gala during the 2026 ABA Midyear Meeting Feb. 7, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk.
Cantú served for 14 years as a litigator and administrator at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She successfully represented Hispanics and other client groups in securing their legal and constitutional rights, including representing women facing employment discrimination and students who were denied their constitutional rights to access public schools. She was part of a team of attorneys enforcing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the children of immigrants.
Cantú also successfully argued in Washington, D.C., federal court for student groups in a national case regarding the failure of the U.S. Department of Education to perform its duty to enforce civil rights laws concerning disabilities, sex discrimination, race and national origin. She was nominated by President Clinton — and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate — as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education. In November 2020, she took a leave of absence from the University of Texas to serve on the Biden-Harris transition team. She was invited back to serve as the first Latina chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from February 2021 to December 2022.
Espinoza-Madrigal is the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) in Boston. He has 20 years of experience in complex federal and appellate litigation and has represented a wide range of clients, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in the corporate and nonprofit sectors.
His work spans across immigration, education, housing, workplace justice, voting rights, public health, entrepreneurship and LGBTQ+ rights.
Espinoza-Madrigal is an expert in legal protections for people of color and immigrants. https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/10/2026-aba-impacto-award/
The American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Rights and Responsibilities will present Norma V. Cantú and Iván Espinoza-Madrigal with the 2026 Impacto Award at the inaugural Titans for Change Gala during the 2026 ABA Midyear Meeting Feb. 7, at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk.
Cantú served for 14 years as a litigator and administrator at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She successfully represented Hispanics and other client groups in securing their legal and constitutional rights, including representing women facing employment discrimination and students who were denied their constitutional rights to access public schools. She was part of a team of attorneys enforcing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the children of immigrants.
Cantú also successfully argued in Washington, D.C., federal court for student groups in a national case regarding the failure of the U.S. Department of Education to perform its duty to enforce civil rights laws concerning disabilities, sex discrimination, race and national origin. She was nominated by President Clinton — and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate — as assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education. In November 2020, she took a leave of absence from the University of Texas to serve on the Biden-Harris transition team. She was invited back to serve as the first Latina chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from February 2021 to December 2022.
Espinoza-Madrigal is the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) in Boston. He has 20 years of experience in complex federal and appellate litigation and has represented a wide range of clients, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in the corporate and nonprofit sectors.
His work spans across immigration, education, housing, workplace justice, voting rights, public health, entrepreneurship and LGBTQ+ rights.
Espinoza-Madrigal is an expert in legal protections for people of color and immigrants. https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/10/2026-aba-impacto-award/
