[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 12 (Wednesday, February 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: February 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
REMARKS BY HON. DEBORAH K. CHASANOW
______
HON. STENY H. HOYER
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, February 9, 1994
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to include in the Record some remarks
made by the Honorable Deborah K. Chasanow who, on December 13, 1993,
was sworn in as a member of the U.S. District Court for the District of
Maryland. She became only the second woman to be appointed to that
bench and the first person from Prince George's County, MD.
In her remarks, she comments on the creation of the southern division
of the District Court of Maryland. As the sponsor of the legislation
which accomplished that end and one who worked on that objective for
over a quarter of a century, I have a particular pride in the fact that
its first two judges will be Judge Chasanow and Judge Peter Mazetti,
who formally served on the circuit court bench in Montgomery County.
Both Judges Chasanow and Mazetti are individuals who display all of the
characteristics that our fellow citizens would want in persons given
the awesome responsibilities to judge and dispose. They are possessed
of keen intellect, high moral values, and unquestioned integrity.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that Judge Chasanow's remarks reflect her
humanity and her insightfulness. It is our expectation that the new
Federal courthouse in Greenbelt, MD, which will house the southern
division of the district court, will open for business and be dedicated
later this year. Judges Chasanow and Mazetti will be two of the three
judges who will preside at that site. I believe it will be an addition
to our judicial system which will provide more accessible justice to
our citizens and will meet a need for such a judicial facility long
unmet.
I wish for Judges Chasanow and Mazetti that God will grant them the
wisdom, compassion, and courage to judge fairly and decisively as they
inaugurate a new era in the Federal judicial history of Maryland.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I include the remarks of Judge Chasanow reflecting
her personal feelings and her observations on the meaning of her
appointment and her family and for all of us:
Judge Murnaghan, Judge Niemeyer, Chief Judge Black, Federal
Judges, Senator Sarbanes, Senator Mikulski, Congressman
Hoyer, Chief Judge Murphy, State Judges, public officials,
honored guests, family and friends. I am honored by your
presence here today. We've already heard from many excellent
speakers and I'm afraid if I say very much you'll realize
that the nice things they said about me can't be true. Those
who know me well appreciate how uncomfortable I am being on
center stage and realize that I want the ordeal to end as
quickly as possible. But I really must take this opportunity
to share some of my thoughts about the Federal Court in
Maryland.
Before I do, I want to recognize a few of the people who
have been very important in my life. My parents, Helen and
Howard Koss; my sister, Tamar Bernbaum; my sisters in law,
Phyllis Richman, Myrna Chasanow, and Ruth Heitin, and their
families. My great aunt Edith Levine, my aunt Lenore
Weseley, and long time friends Horty and Bernard Meyer.
And the two who have shared this year's journey with me
most closely and without whom I would not have survived
it: my husband Howard, and my step daughter Andrea. It has
been an intense year for us and I want to express my
gratitude and love to them for their steadfast
encouragement and support. There are some people who are
not here in person, but who are very much here in spirit.
My grandfather continues to be an inspiration, even as the
years dim some of the memories. And Howard's parents,
Helen and Abe Chasanow. The last time I took an oath in
this room, they provided the new robe I donned. I thank
Mr. Lewis for bringing their memory more alive today. Of
course, there are many, many friends and colleagues here
today as well. It is gratifying to see people from so many
different stages of my life. Neighbors from Wheaton where
I grew up and from College Park where we now live, law
school classmates from Stanford, colleagues from the
Attorney General's office, and of course, those with whom
I've worked here in Federal Court, particularly the
magistrate judges and their staffs, my fantastic secretary
Marie Mooney Plapas and all of my wonderful law clerks.
Over the past year, many people have asked who do I want to
be a District Judge? That was a very difficult question,
particularly because I had to resign from what the insiders
know is the best job in the legal community. My reasons for
seeking this position include being a part of the
inauguration of the Southern Division and my hope that with
Baltimore Federal Court experience, Prince George's County
residence, and Montgomery County background I could offer a
unique perspective of experience and geography that might
prove helpful as we work to get the new courthouse off on the
right foot. The real drawback is that now if I want to ask my
husband a question, instead of just nudging him, I must put
it in writing and certify it the Court of Appeals, Maryland.
Recently I was asked by a reporter what I thought about
being only the second woman to be appointed to the position
of U.S. District Judge in Maryland. I am sorry that the
first, Judge Shirley Jones, could not be here today. I know
she would agree with me that my new colleagues don't need any
sensitivity training, but, on the theory that you can never
have too much sensitivity, I have obtained for them a copy of
Deborah Tannen's best seller You Just Don't Understand, Women
and Men in Conversation.
I am still amazed that I was appointed to this high
position, but I am not at all surprised that a woman was
appointed given where we are in 1993. It would only be
surprising if, among three new appointees to this court,
there had been no woman. The first judicial nomination made
by President Clinton was a woman, Justice Ginsberg. Of the
next 30 or so nominations, well over a third were women. I
have met some of the other women and I am very flattered to
be part of that group.
There is no question that the look of the Federal judiciary
is changing. In the not too distant future, the makeup of the
Federal bench will much more closely mirror the diversity
that is America. I think it is particularly important for
public confidence in the judicial system that the bench
not be perceived as an exclusive club, reluctant to admit
women and minorities. Equality must be the hallmark of the
justice we dispense and of the process by which judges are
selected. Let me echo the wish of Justice Ginsberg, all
women yearn for the day when we can stop counting.
I also think the significance of my appointment lies as
much in geography as in gender. I am deeply honored to be the
first Prince George's County resident to be appointed
District Court Judge. While not a native of Prince George's
County, I have lived there for more than a decade. Some
people might find it unusual for someone to move from
Montgomery County to Prince George's County, but let me
assure you I had an excellent reason, a wonderful husband
firmly rooted to Prince George's County. No, I didn't also
have a premonition or any inside information that the new
Southern Division courthouse would be built two miles from
our home. That was just luck.
The Southern Division has generated controversy over the
last few years and was created only after heated debates
among the bench and the bar. I hope that the time for
conflict is over, and that the time for harmony is here.
There is a lot of hard work ahead and cooperative attitude
will be essential if we are to make the Southern Division
succeed.
Let me give you insight into my early geography lessons. I
grew up in Montgomery County. My parents still live in the
same place they moved to when I was three years old. My early
view of Baltimore was as a city we travelled through on our
way to visit grandparents in New York. Our metropolitan focus
in those early years was either Rockville or Washington.
Baltimore was far away, literally and figuratively. When I
took the bar exam Baltimore seemed so far away that I
arranged to stay at a hotel during the exam. Associating
Baltimore with taking the bar exam did not help my early
feelings about the city.
Just after the bar exam, I became Judge Cahoon's law clerk
and was able to walk to my office in the courthouse in
Rockville. Despite my first exposure to Baltimore during the
bar exam, I applied here to the offices of the Attorney
General and the General Council to the Human Relations
Commission for jobs after my one clerkship. The trips to
Baltimore for those interviews were scary adventures for me.
I felt about Baltimore as some Baltimore attorneys might
initially feel about Southern Maryland. Both the Attorney
General's office and the Human Relations Commission
ultimately offered me jobs. It was a difficult choice, but as
you all know, I decided to join the Attorney General's
office. My first day of work was December 22, 1975 and that
day began what has now become an 18 year commute from the
heart of the Southern Division to Charm City.
I soon came to love the city. When Harborplace opened I
must have gone there for lunch every day for months. I still
try to walk around the Harbor on nice days as often as I can.
And I am envious of those who live closer and can take
advantage more easily than I of Baltimore's cultural and
culinary delights.
It isn't just people like me from the Washington suburbs
who have a skewed view of Maryland geography. My first
supervisor in the Attorney General's office thought
everything outside of Baltimore and Annapolis was on Debby's
way to work. So I was asked to represent the State in Circuit
Courts all over Maryland on the theory that any courthouse
outside of Baltimore City was not out of my way. Throughout
it all I commuted each and every day, although I stayed with
friends here in Baltimore if the weather got bad or I had to
work very late. Sally and Kathleen kept trying to convince me
to move to the city, but I resisted. By the way, yesterday
while Kathleen and Sally were conspiring about their remarks
for today at an undisclosed location in Baltimore, Kathleen's
car was stolen. I certainly wouldn't want to be the next
accused joy rider to appear in Judge Sweeny's courtroom.
The criminal division of the Attorney General's office
offered a wonderful vantage point from which to learn all
about this great State. I worked with the State's Attorneys
from all 23 counties and the City of Baltimore. There were
trips to various parts of the State, including a sad journey
to Oakland to prepare for arguing the first death penalty
case. I walked the last route taken by Deputy Sheriff
Livengood during his unfortunate encounter with Richard Danny
Tichnell. I also made shorter trips to Towson and Upper
Marlboro to help with training sessions and enjoyed pleasant
early summer visits to Ocean City to join the State's
Attorneys at their annual convention. I came away with an
appreciation for Maryland geography and the varying
backgrounds prosecutors brought to their jobs. I also
learned, however, that people with divergent views and
experiences can work together to achieve a common goal.
Then, a little more than six and a half years ago, I had
the great fortune to be appointed as a United States
Magistrate Judge. Although there was no Southern Division at
the time, I suspect that my Southern Division residence was
an attribute that contributed to my appointment. My geography
lessons continued. While Baltimore was my duty station, I
eventually saw not only this courthouse, but also sat in
courtrooms in Hyattsville, Ft. Mead, Rockeville and Ft.
Detrick. During those year, I came into contact with
litigants, lawyers, and jurors from all over the State.
Maryland is unique in that it is large enough to boast both
mountains and seashores, yet small enough that we can travel
to each in less than a day. One can canoe the Potomac, sail
on the Chesapeake, or surf in the Atlantic. We can enjoy the
history of colonial capitals and the vision of planned towns
like Greenbelt and Columbia. We can feast on delicacies like
the Chesapeake Blue Crab and St. Mary's stuffed ham almost
anywhere. We should also be proud of our regional diversity,
but we must strive to work together.
Now that some of you will be traveling to the Southern
Division Area, I hope you will take the opportunity to enjoy
the nice things we have to offer and will learn to know and
love the Southern Division as I came to know and love
Baltimore. I am sure that those who take the time to explore
will come to appreciate the bounty of the Southern Division
Counties.
Aside from a healthy appreciation for the beauty of the
entire State, I bring to my new role a grave concern that all
people who find themselves in federal court in Maryland
deserve the most efficient, courteous, and competent service
we can provide. To succeed, it will take the full effort of
all of us to administer justice. The Southern Division has
been created, not to make it more convenient for lawyers and
judges, but because having a courthouse in that part of the
State will help all of us to serve the litigants better. It
is my hope that we can put aside the lingering doubts about
whether there should be a Southern Division. It's here and
here to stay. There is plenty of work to do and we cannot
afford to be distracted by any regionalism. There is no north
versus south. There is a common goal to administer justice in
the best possible manner. Two divisions will further that
goal because of our cooperative effort. I look forward to
working closer to home, but just as closely with my Baltimore
colleagues. Although I will be a part of bringing Federal
justice to the Southern part of the State, I will be a judge
not for the Southern Division but for all of Maryland. My
pledge to those here in Baltimore, as to those all over the
State, is that I will continue to do my best to advance the
high ideals of those who served before me and with whom I now
serve. I will strive to justify the confidence expressed by
Senator Sarbanes' recommendation and President Clinton's
appointment. Thank you.
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