Interview Transcript
Conducted By: Jose Luis Orozco Gonzalez.
A student at: Texas International University Early College Program
Interviewed: Judge Diana Song Quiroga.
Abstract.
Diana Song Quiroga is a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Laredo Division. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Law School, she previously clerked for Judge Keith Ellison of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, worked as legal-aid attorney, and served as an Assistant United States Attorney before joining the federal bench. In this interview, Judge Song Quiroga discusses the judiciary’s responsibility to strengthen civic education, public trust, and access to the legal profession. She reflects on the Kazen Fellowship, a Laredo-based program that introduces high school students to government, constitutional law, media literacy, and trial advocacy while developing civic leadership. Drawing on her experiences across the legal system, Judge Song Quiroga argues that courts can strengthen public confidence by becoming more accessible to the communities they serve. Rather than remaining distant institutions, she encourages judges and lawyers to “get down from the bench,” work alongside educators and community leaders, visit schools, participate in civic-education programs, and use occasions such as naturalization ceremonies to explain the judiciary’s role in American government. The interview presents Judge Song Quiroga’s conception of judging as inseparable from civic engagement: a judiciary is strongest not merely when it applies the law fairly, but when citizens—particularly young people and those historically distant from legal institutions—can understand, access, and see themselves as participants in the constitutional system.
The interview below was conducted in September 2026. It has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Harvard Undergraduate Law Review (HULR): Judge, you spent a lot of your career inside institutions that most Americans don’t see; you’ve gone from legal aid to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to now the federal bench.
In recent years, you’ve devoted a lot of time and energy to bringing students into the courthouse through the Kazen Fellowship, which is a program built for high schoolers to learn firsthand about the federal court system. Can you tell us a little bit about what that program is and how it illuminates legal institutions in the eyes of high school students?
Judge Diana Song Quiroga (SQ): The program is a five-week summer civic and leadership camp for rising junior and senior high school students that is hosted by the federal courthouse in conjunction with local attorneys and other community partners, including Laredo College.
This year, for the first time, the fellows were based out of Laredo College. During the first four weeks, the fellows focus on foundational classes that speak to civic knowledge that we would like young citizens to have: a better understanding of how the branches of government work, the separation of powers, and the unique role of the third branch, the judicial branch.
They also take classes in trial advocacy to help them prepare for a mock trial that they participate in the fifth and final week of the program, where they put on the trial before volunteer state and federal judges, who preside over the trial.
And so, it’s not only a pre-law pipeline, but more importantly, it’s a civic leadership camp. We don’t require the students to necessarily profess an interest in attending law school, but we do want all of them to walk away with a sense of community civic leadership.
HULR: That’s especially meaningful, since many Americans’ understanding of federal judges is shaped by courtroom proceedings and news coverage of major cases or political debates, where misinformation can sometimes distort public perceptions. With that in mind, how can we help students develop a more accurate understanding of the federal judiciary and its role? In that complex environment of civic learning and education, why do you think it’s important to teach students this foundational knowledge, even if they don’t intend to attend law school?
SQ: Well, because they are voters, and they’re citizens. In the fellowship, we emphasize the need to understand foundational sources, especially the text. So, they get to read cases and engage with other pieces of law and policy. As you know, this year, we have the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. So that was one of the texts that fellows also got to know and work with.
And of course, they each get their little pocketbook of the U.S. Constitution as well.
Another piece of the fellowship curriculum is a media literacy class that’s geared to teach fellows to be informed consumers of news and to always understand what the source is, whether it is a source of law, legislation, or news. They should ask themselves, “Where are you getting your information from so that you can make up your own mind?”
HULR: Right. And I think one of the striking features of the Kazen Fellowship is that these high school students don’t just observe government and walk around the courtroom, but they become teachers themselves—sometimes going on to mentor middle school students and lead their own mock trials.
Why do you think it’s important to build a program around peer leadership? And instead of just keeping judges and lawyers at the center of the classroom, how can other courts and other systems implement that same system effectively?
SQ: I think our Founding Fathers envisioned democracy working from the bottom up. Our republic requires engaged citizens for this democracy to work.
And so, this program—for which District Judge Saldaña was the visionary and founder, with me helping her run it—honors the legacy of the late Chief U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen, who was a pillar in our community and a stalwart for the rule of law. And so, the wisdom of the Founding Fathers to create a system of government that has lasted over 250 years rests on an informed citizenry.
The fellowship is just a small part in advancing that because fellows come from a variety of schools across Laredo—public, private, religious, charter—and all of them are invited to participate.
HULR: As you mentioned, the Kazen Fellowship is really about building foundational civic knowledge in students. There have recently been many initiatives, both nationally and here in Texas, to include civic education as part of students’ classroom education across grade levels and across school districts.
How do you see that responsibility shifting between the judiciary and the school districts themselves?
SQ: I believe each of us has a unique role and position from which to advocate for civic education. Civic education matters to everyone, regardless of their background or walk of life.
If we look at how communities have historically worked, organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis, often supported by the business community, have played important civic roles. Schools, state and federal judges, bar associations, community leaders, and local businesses all have a stake in strengthening civic education.
As members of the judiciary, we are uniquely positioned to contribute because we engage with and interpret the Constitution in a profound way every day. That experience gives us a perspective that non-legal organizations may not always have.
At the same time, we are partners with schools. In the case of the fellowship program, schools are among our most important partners because they help identify students, share information about the opportunity, and work closely with us to ensure that the program is something the entire community can be proud of.
HULR: Your career has been through multiple unique stages, from representing the government to representing the underserved and entrepreneurs through legal aid.
On a personal level, Judge, you’ve had a lot of very different relationships with power and authority and been a part of the institutions that serve our community. How has serving in these roles changed the way you see the judiciary’s obligation to communities that have historically had less access to legal institutions?
SQ: I have been blessed to have had a broad perspective on how things work.
First, as a law clerk, when I was working for one of the district judges who used to be here, District Judge Keith P. Ellison, I learned legal analysis and legal writing from a great mentor, so I gained experience with the more academic, analytical aspects of the law.
And after my clerkship, as you mentioned, I worked as a legal aid lawyer. So, I really got to understand then that law doesn’t just live in the higher echelons of Ivy League law schools or high and mighty courthouses. Rather, as Alexander Hamilton wrote, the law and the judicial branch must depend on people’s trust for their legitimacy.
So, we, the third branch of the government, the judiciary, don’t have the power of the purse or the power of the sword. But what we do have is the public’s trust that gives legitimacy to the orders of the court. And for that legitimacy to be vibrant and resilient , people must understand the decisions of the court.
As a legal aid lawyer, having to explain the law, then counsel and advise my clients, taught me how to explain more complex legal concepts and bring them to my clients in a way they could understand. Many of them didn’t graduate from high school, and for many of them, English was not even their primary language.
I had to learn how to explain legal concepts, and that, in some way, is not different than what many lawyers have to do with their clients now because their clients are not lawyers.
And so that’s why lawyers are also called counselors at law, right? You must counsel people and advise them on what the law is and how it affects their businesses and their lives, and counsel them on how to best respect the law.
And from there I became a prosecutor, and I think on the prosecution side, you enforce laws on behalf of the United States of America, and nothing gave me much more pride as an immigrant and naturalized citizen myself, to be able to stand there and say that I represent the United States of America in vindicating the interests that are in our laws and protecting the community.
As a prosecutor, I had the opportunity to work in long-term investigations, debrief witnesses, and interview cooperating witnesses.
That also taught me how to see the law from that perspective, and how to advocate for victims. Now that I’m on the bench, I feel as if God used all those experiences to shape me, to give me the toolkit that I need to do my job fairly, efficiently, and productively.
HULR: I’d like to home in on that. We all must draw from all these experiences to be a better law professional.
SQ: Right.
HULR: And so you personally, Judge, have also chaired a committee in the American Bar Association (ABA) and remained active in many judicial clerkship initiatives.
What other initiatives do you see developing that could give young people the kinds of opportunities and experiences that help shape them?
SQ: I chaired the National Conference of Federal Trial Judges; that’s part of the Judicial Division of the ABA.
It was great belonging to a national organization where we could talk about the richness of our country and all the different communities, viewpoints, and backgrounds that come to bear. We want the law to be open to all of those different perspectives, different backgrounds, and different experiences.
And so, I think of it as a pipeline issue. “How can we make access to law school feel less out of reach?”
Coming from Laredo, we are part of a rural community where many people do not come from families with lawyers. As you mentioned, for many people, their first interaction with the legal system may be as a victim of a crime or as someone connected to a person accused of committing one.
We want people to encounter the legal system at a different point in their lives, when they are open to learning about the important role it plays in our government. We do not want their first experience to be when they are personally on the receiving end of the system in a way that may make it difficult to remain open to understanding the unique role of the third branch of government.
So, I see it as a question of access: How can we make law school accessible? How can we make the legal profession accessible? And perhaps, one day, how can we make the bench accessible?
The legal profession should be open to people with different viewpoints, perspectives, and backgrounds: people from urban and rural communities; people entering law as a second career after serving in the military; and people who are the first in their families to pursue this path.
Like you, I grew up in a family with no lawyers. My parents did not know any lawyers, and I did not grow up around people in the profession. Still, there was always something deeply noble about the law that attracted me: professional service.
And so, I’m glad that, God willing, I showed some aptitude in it, and here I am.
HULR: That’s very inspiring, Judge, especially coming from someone with your story. You’ve already talked about this a little bit, but your own story doesn’t fit the conventional narrative.
You were a graduate of Harvard Law School, and you’ve led national judicial organizations and served on committees devoted to inclusion within the judiciary.
But before any of that, you were a daughter of immigrants and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen yourself. Now you preside over naturalization ceremonies here at the courthouse.
In a judiciary that depends so much, as you mentioned, on public confidence, how do these experiences shape not just judicial decisions, but also an understanding of who should be able to see themselves reflected on the bench?
SQ: Well, I believe that my background just makes me so much more appreciative of the system of government and the unique history of the United States, how we were established from the very beginning to be a nation founded upon the rule of law and not of men.
And so, I don’t take a single day for granted, and I’m so grateful for being able to serve my community, my country, my nation, and the bench this way.
I think it’s a sense of gratitude and wanting to give back in some way and also the opportunity to serve in national organizations.
The mission is to ensure that our legal system hears the voices of people who live beyond the two coasts, the East Coast and the West Coast. Our country is vast and rich, with strong traditions and diverse communities.
As a judge from Texas and the South, it has always given me great pleasure to remind people that we simply do things better, and bigger, in Texas.
HULR: As Texans usually do! Thank you for that, Judge.
I have one final question. Throughout this conversation, you have described the courthouse as a place that should belong to the people of the United States, including students. You have also emphasized the importance of building on that legacy and ensuring that these institutions continue to evolve.
How can courts build on that legacy while strengthening the public trust on which their legitimacy depends?
I would also love to hear how your own journey informs that perspective. As the daughter of immigrants who became a federal judge and now presides over naturalization ceremonies, your story seems to embody the idea that the law is strongest when people can see themselves reflected in it, from young people to immigrants and others who may not always feel represented by the legal system.
For courts seeking to involve young people more meaningfully in the civic and legal institutions that shape their communities, what initiatives do you believe other courts could implement? And, ultimately, what do you hope those initiatives communicate to the public?
SQ: I think that perhaps the biggest challenge for some judges might be getting down, you know? Stepping down from the bench, and I think you mentioned this, right? How intimidating it can be to look up and see somebody robed in black, hovering over you.
Sometimes we just must get down from the bench, roll up our sleeves, and come alongside educators and community leaders, because civic education belongs to all of us, and it’s all our responsibility.
And so there are opportunities, and it doesn’t have to be a five-week-long intensive program as we do here in Laredo with so many community partners. It doesn’t have to be that vast. It could just be to volunteer to go talk to your local high school.
I do that too, when I make myself available to social studies teachers when they must teach, in high school or in middle school, that portion of U.S. history or social studies that deals with the Constitutional Convention, the adoption of the Constitution, and later the amendments that followed, known as the Bill of Rights.
And I say, “Hey, can I help you teach that lesson? How can I support the curriculum at your school and somehow make it come alive for the students?”
And it could be just an hour or two that you stop by your local school and make yourself available.
Or even when you’re doing a naturalization ceremony that I feel privileged to do, maybe share something about why it is even that a naturalization ceremony must occur at a courthouse, right?
Explore that and then let those new citizens understand the role of the judiciary in the fabric of our country and as part of the third branch of government.
Even that just takes a couple of moments when you’re presiding over a naturalization ceremony.
So there are opportunities, small, ready to go, that don’t require too much upfront time or investment, that a judge, a lawyer, as part of their bar, could also do. Just make themselves available because the need is there.
And as you know, I think in Texas, the state law now requires there to be some kind of civic education curriculum.
Because our state legislature also recognizes that there is a need for Americans to learn more about how their government works and how they can be a participant in that process. And we’re happy to come alongside and support those efforts.
HULR: Thank you so much for your great insight. I’m sure a lot of courts will take a lot away from this conversation.
SQ: Thank you very much for your great questions.
Jose Luis Orozco Gonzalez.