Michael Andrew Brooks-Jimenez is an American lawyer and Democratic member of the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Ralph Shortey Ralph Allan Lee Shortey (born February 16, 1982) is an American convicted sex offender and former politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2010, defeating several challengers in pri ...

. He represents the 44th district, which covers parts of southern

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

Personal life

Brooks-Jimenez was born in Oklahoma City to a white father, Bud Brooks, and a Mexican-American mother, Patricia Jimenez Brooks. Both were educators. He graduated from Mount St. Mary High School, and with a bachelor's degree from

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Oklahoma College of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the law school of the University of Oklahoma. It is located on the University's campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The College of Law was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the OU Board of Regents. Accordi ...

. Brooks-Jimenez established a law firm, specializing in

immigration law Immigration law includes the national statutes, Primary and secondary legislation, regulations, and Precedent, legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as ...

and Criminal Defense. Brooks-Jimenez and his wife, Jessica Martinez-Brooks, have 2 children; Joaquin and Lucy. He is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and attends St. James Catholic Church.

Political career

Brooks-Jimenez ran for the state Senate in 2014, losing to incumbent Republican

Ralph Shortey Ralph Allan Lee Shortey (born February 16, 1982) is an American convicted sex offender and former politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2010, defeating several challengers in pri ...

. After Shortey resigned in March 2017 after being charged with child prostitution, Brooks-Jimenez declared his candidacy for the open seat. He defeated Republican Joe Griffin in the special election, held on July 11, 2017. His victory came as a surprise victory for the Democratic Party. Brooks-Jimenez was the first Latino member of the Senate and is one of five in the Legislature. No candidates filed to run against Brooks-Jimenez in 2018 or 2022 primaries or general elections. He currently serves as Minority Caucus Chair. Brooks-Jimenez is also member of The National Association of Latino Elected Officials and the Board of Latino Legislative Leaders and was selected to be part of the New Deal Leaders in 2021. Brooks-Jimenez also founded the Oklahoma Latino Legislative Caucus in 2020.

Political positions

Brooks-Jimenez believes

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

is an issue best handled at the federal level, and supports rights of immigrants, both legal and illegal, residing in the United States. He prioritized education, the economy, and infrastructure in his 2014 campaign for the Senate.

Electoral history

References

External links

Campaign website

Senate website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks-Jimenez, Michael 20th-century births Living people American politicians of Mexican descent Immigration lawyers Oklahoma lawyers Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Oklahoma State University alumni Politicians from Oklahoma City University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni Catholic politicians from Oklahoma Year of birth missing (living people) Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Oklahoma American lawyers of Mexican descent