James C. Harrington

James "Jim" C. Harrington is a Texas civil rights lawyer and founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project. Dedicated to social justice, he fought for workers' rights alongside Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. Harrington had a reputation for taking on powerful adversaries, including the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas State Bar. He worked on a variety of cases, including civil rights, worker's rights, racial discrimination, as well as many cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Harrington was an adjunct law professor at University of Texas, popular with students who sought more than a theoretical perspective.

Early life Influenced by his Irish Catholic childhood and summers working with migrant farm workers in Michigan, Harrington grew up wanting to help the poor. At first he studied to be a priest, however after eight years he had a revelation that he could be a more effective advocate as a lawyer. He enrolled in law school at the University of Detroit, where he met Rebecca Flores. They married in 1972. The next year they moved to Texas and Harrington began working for the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union. They also secured unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, and the right to know about dangerous chemicals used in the workplace. In 1981 they won a Texas ban on the use of the short-handled hoe, which caused permanent injuries to farm workers.

The establishment of Texas Civil Rights Project marked the end of Harrington working for the Texas Civil Liberties Union. He said that the TCLU more interested in classic civil liberties issues, like free speech, while he was focused on racial justice issues.

In 2023, Harrington authored a complaint asking the Texas State Bar to stop Ken Paxton from practicing law in the state, accusing him of abuse of office and other misconduct, including bribery and organized crime. Three former State Bar of Texas presidents and ten other lawyers joined Harrington in the complaint.