[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 185 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 185

   Honoring Johnnie Cochran, Jr. for his service to the Nation, and 
expressing condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and admirers 
                             on his death.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 5, 2005

   Ms. Waters (for herself, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Kilpatrick of 
 Michigan, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Towns, Mr. Honda, Ms. Corrine 
 Brown of Florida, Ms. Carson, Mr. Owens, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. 
Watson, Mr. Payne, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Scott of Virginia, 
Mr. Cummings, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Norton, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Clay, 
   Ms. Lee, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. 
   Hastings of Florida, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Watt, Mr. Rush, Mr. 
  Clyburn, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Lewis of 
Georgia, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. McKinney, 
 and Mr. Davis of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Honoring Johnnie Cochran, Jr. for his service to the Nation, and 
expressing condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and admirers 
                             on his death.

Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., was born Oct. 2, 1937, in Shreveport, Louisiana, 
        the great-grandson of slaves, the grandson of a sharecropper and the son 
        of an insurance salesman;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., came to Los Angeles, California, with his family 
        in 1949, and became one of two dozen black students integrated into Los 
        Angeles High School in the 1950s;
Whereas, until his death from a brain tumor on March 29, 2005, Johnnie Cochran, 
        Jr., was an extraordinary human being and a trial lawyer of exceptional 
        ability;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., earned an undergraduate degree from the University 
        of California at Los Angeles in 1959 and a law degree from Loyola 
        Marymount University in Los Angeles in 1962;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., began his legal career in 1963, spending two years 
        practicing law in the Los Angeles City Attorney's office;
Whereas, for five years from 1978 to 1983, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., again worked as 
        a prosecutor, serving as an Assistant District Attorney in the Los 
        Angeles County Attorney's Office;
Whereas, upon leaving the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, Johnnie Cochran, 
        Jr., started his own law firm where, for a period spanning a total of 
        over 35 years, he brought his tremendous analytical and oratorical 
        skills to both criminal defense work and civil cases, including civil 
        rights, contracts, environmental justice, and personal injury cases, on 
        behalf of all kinds of clients, from the famous and powerful to the 
        unknown and the voiceless;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., dedicated his life and his legal career, often on 
        a pro bono basis, to advancing the cause of equal access to justice for 
        all persons regardless of their station in life, to overcoming 
        unfairness and police brutality in the criminal justice system, and to 
        ensuring equal opportunities in all walks of life for persons of color;
Whereas, with all of his many achievements, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., called ``. . . 
        the happiest day of my life practicing law . . .'', the day in 1997 when 
        his tireless, tenacious efforts helped to secure the release of his 
        client, Elmer ``Geronimo'' Pratt, who spent 27 years in prison for a 
        crime that he didn't commit;
Whereas, through a lifetime of dedicated service, personal integrity, and 
        professional excellence, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., set an example and became 
        a role model for many aspiring African-American professionals and other 
        professionals throughout America;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr.'s tremendous successes as a trial lawyer practicing 
        on a world stage caused many people to view the abilities of minority 
        professionals more positively;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran Jr.'s pioneering work as a lawyer helped to open the 
        door to many more ``first-chair'' opportunities for minority lawyers and 
        other professionals;
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., was a widely-known and admired person whose fame 
        caused him to be mentioned, and also often parodied, in many television 
        shows and movies; and
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., also was a best-selling author, a successful 
        television host and legal commentator, a highly sought-after public 
        speaker, and a philanthropist whose generosity helped fund a University 
        of California at Los Angeles scholarship, a low-income housing complex, 
        and a New Jersey legal academy, among many other charitable endeavors: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors Johnnie Cochran, Jr., for his service to the 
        Nation, his pioneering work as a lawyer, author, TV 
        commentator, and philanthropist, and his personal integrity and 
        professional excellence; and
            (2) expresses its deepest condolences to his family, 
        friends, colleagues, and admirers.
                                 <all>