Michael Andrew Brooks-Jimenez (born 1969/70) 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. 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 capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
.
Biography
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 (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...
from the
University of Oklahoma College of Law
The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the professional graduate 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 Bo ...
. Brooks-Jimenez established a law firm, specializing in immigration law and Criminal Defense.
Political career
Brooks-Jimenez ran for the state Senate in 2014, losing to incumbent Republican Ralph Shortey. 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.
Brooks-Jimenez was the first proudly 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 Assistant Minority Leader. Brooks-Jimenez is also member of The National Association of Latino Elected Officials, The Board of Latino Legislative Leaders and was selected in 2021 to be part of The New Deal Leaders. In 2020 Senator Brooks founded the Oklahoma Latino Legislative Caucus.
Personal life
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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and attends St. James Catholic Church.
Political positions
Brooks-Jimenez believes
illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
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.