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Retired federal judge Roger T. Benítez, a Cuban immigrant known among Second Amendment advocates as "San Benítez," will be the keynote speaker at the 2026 Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC), which will take place from September 25 to 27 in Dallas, Texas.
The announcement was made this Monday by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) through its official account on X, where it described the news as "huge."
The conference, organized by the SAF along with the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, will celebrate its 41st edition this year and is considered one of the main annual gatherings of the movement advocating for the right to bear arms in the United States.
Benítez served as a judge on the Federal District Court for the Southern District of California from 2004 until his retirement in April 2026, after nearly 22 years in office. He was nominated by then-President George W. Bush.
During that period, he became one of the most influential legal figures in the interpretation of the Second Amendment, especially after the Supreme Court rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022).
Among his most well-known decisions are the overturning of California's ban on high-capacity magazines (Duncan v. Bonta), the invalidation of the state restriction on so-called "assault weapons" (Miller v. Bonta)—a ruling in which he compared the AR-15 rifle to a Swiss army knife for its versatility—and the suspension of the background check system for ammunition purchases (Rhode v. Bonta). All three cases are still making their way through the appellate courts.
His career was also marked by a decision made in December 2025, when he declared the confidentiality policies regarding gender identity in California's public schools unconstitutional, stating that parents have the right to be informed if a child changes their gender identity or expression in the school environment. This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in March 2026, with a vote of 6-3, as noted by the Billy Graham website.
In announcing his retirement, Benítez downplayed the significance of his judicial decisions.
" I simply followed the law," he declared to the newspaper San Diego Union-Tribune, when asked about the numerous rulings in which he concluded that several California regulations violated the Second Amendment.
From Operation Peter Pan to the federal court
Born in Cuba in 1950, Roger Benítez came to the United States as a child as part of the Operation Peter Pan, the program that transported over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors between 1960 and 1962.
He and his brother traveled alone, while their mother was able to reunite with them some time later. The family eventually settled in El Centro, California.
Benítez himself has acknowledged that this experience profoundly influenced his understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the protection of individual liberties.
"Of course that changed my life. I have a very particular vision about our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, due process, and how we must guarantee those rights. It's part of my identity. I can't change it," he stated.
After retiring from the judiciary, Benítez began working as an arbitrator, mediator, and special master at the firm ADR Services Inc.
His participation in the Dallas conference will be one of his first high-profile public appearances since leaving federal court and will bring together one of the most influential figures in the gun rights movement with thousands of activists, legal experts, and leaders of pro-gun organizations from across the United States.
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