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Matthew Garcia

Moody Foundation Visiting Assistant Professor of Law

 

Matthew Garcia

Contact Information

Education

  • J.D., Stanford Law School, 2018
  • A.B., Harvard College, 2010

Licensed to Practice

  • Texas

Specialties and Courses

  • Civil Rights Litigation
  • Constitutional Law
  • Local Government Law
  • Property

Honors and Awards

  • John and Terry Levin Public Service and Public Interest Fellowship, Stanford Law School
  • Gerald Gunther Prize for Outstanding Performance in Local Government Law, Stanford Law School
  • The Hon. Thelton E. Henderson Prize for Outstanding Performance in Clinical Methods, Stanford Law School
  • The Hon. Thelton E. Henderson Prize for Outstanding Performance in Clinical Coursework, Stanford Law School

Biography

Moody Foundation Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Matt Garcia, J.D., specializes in constitutional law, civil rights and property law. Garcia’s research focuses on the impact of wealth and poverty on the scope of individual rights, abuses of power by local governments, and the history of the Southwest borderlands.

After graduating from Harvard College with honors, Garcia worked as the Southwest Redistricting Coordinator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He later worked as a political organizer and consultant on local, state and national elections across the country.

While attending Stanford Law School, Garcia joined the Community Law Clinic in East Palo Alto, where he worked to defend the rights of low-income tenants. Upon his graduation, Stanford awarded Garcia the John and Terry Levin Center Public Interest Fellowship to continue his work on behalf of renters in San Antonio. After completing his fellowship, Garcia clerked for the Hon. Helene N. White of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Detroit.

Before joining the St. Mary’s University School of Law, Garcia practiced law at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, where his litigation focused on housing justice and homelessness prevention. While at Legal Aid, Garcia represented families in eviction proceedings, represented plaintiffs in civil rights actions, monitored local government compliance with tenant and homeowner protections and educated community members about their rights.

Publications

Presentations

  • Forced Out: Government Displacement of Renters and Homeowners, State Bar of Texas Poverty Law Conference (Austin, Aug. 2022).
  • Residential Displacement and Assistance, Texas Latino Policy Symposium (St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Nov. 2021).

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