Julio M. Fuentes

Julio M. Fuentes (born February 16, 1946) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Fuentes is the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Third Circuit. Early life and education Born on February 16, 1946, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Fuentes moved with his family from Puerto Rico to New York in 1950, according to a May 16, 2000, article in the Newark Star-Ledger. Fuentes' family settled in the South Bronx area of The Bronx, New York and moved to New Jersey in 1955. Fuentes grew up in Toms River, New Jersey and graduated from Toms River High School (now Toms River High School South) in 1964, where he played football and wrestled. Fuentes earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971 from Southern Illinois University. His time at SIU was interrupted by a stint in the United States Army, from 1966 through 1969. After completing the United States Army's Airborne, Ranger and Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia, Fuentes served with the 8th Special Forces Group in Fort Gulick, Panama. He was honorably discharged with the rank of First Lieutenant. Fuentes also earned a Master of Arts degree in Latin American Studies from New York University in 1972. He then earned a Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo Law School in 1975, and another Master of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University in 1993. In 2006, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.