Oral history interview with Judge John F. Mendoza conducted by an unnamed interviewer on the dates September 30, 2005, October 14, 2005, and October 21, 2005 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Mendoza talks about his early life and his childhood while growing up in the Westside area of Las Vegas, Nevada. He details the lives of his grandparents as they lived through the Mexican Revolution. Mendoza describes how he grew up in a diverse community that consisted of people from different backgrounds and cultures. A big part of his childhood was when he would sell newspapers to people in public places like bars. He talks about his career and explains that he completed and graduated from law school after being discharged from the United States Army. A crucial event that took place during Mendoza's time in law school was the rise of Communism, and he explains that students and professors in his law school had various perspectives on how Communism would influence the government.