[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E292-E293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   LEGISLATION TO NAME YOUNGSTOWN COURTHOUSE AFTER THOMAS D. LAMBROS

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                      HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, February 8, 1995
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing legislation to 
name the Federal building and U.S. courthouse in Youngstown, OH after 
retired U.S. District Court Judge Thomas D. Lambros. Throughout his 
distinguished career, Judge Lambros embraced the rule of law, human 
rights, and social justice for all our citizens. I can't think of a 
more appropriate way to honor his service than to name the U.S. 
courthouse and Federal building in Youngstown, OH after this great 
American jurist.
  The bill would designate the Federal building and U.S. courthouse 
located at 125 Market Street in Youngstown as the Thomas D. Lambros 
Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.
  Thomas D. Lambros was born on February 4, 1930, in Ashtabula, OH. He 
graduated from Ashtabula High School in 1948. Upon graduation from high 
school, he attended Fairmont State College in Fairmont, WV, from 1948 
to 1949, and received his law degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School 
in 1952. From 1954 to 1956 he served in the U.S. Army. In 1960, Lambros 
was elected judge of the court of common pleas in Ohio's Ashtabula 
County. In 1966, he was reelected to a second term without opposition.
  In 1967, in light of Judge Lambros' excellent record as a fair and 
dedicated jurist, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him to the 
Federal bench in the U.S. District Court in the northern district of 
Ohio. As a district court judge, Judge Lambros was responsible for many 
important reforms such as the voluntary public defender program to 
provide indigent criminal defendants with free counsel. His 
groundbreaking work in this area preceded the landmark U.S. Supreme 
Court decision, Gideon versus Wainwright, which guaranteed free counsel 
to indigent criminal defendants. In 1990, Judge Lambros became chief 
judge in the northern district of Ohio. He officially retired from that 
post earlier this month. Judge Lambros currently resides in Ashtabula, 
OH.
  Judge Lambros received numerous honors and awards throughout his 
career, including the Cross of Paideia presented by Archbishop Iakovos 
of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, and an 
honorary doctorate of law from Capital University Law and Graduate 
Center.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to also add that it was Judge Lambros' 
commitment and vision that was the driving force behind the 
construction of the Federal building and U.S. courthouse in Youngstown. 
He recognized that the people who live in the Youngstown area--
regardless of their station in life--deserve to have adequate and 
direct access to the U.S. court system. Prior to the opening of the 
U.S. courthouse building in Youngstown in December of 1993, my 
constituents had to travel at least 65 miles to Cleveland, OH if they 
had business in the Federal court system. Judge Lambros recognized the 
hardship this imposed on many people, especially senior citizens and 
the indigent. His commitment to equal justice and equal access for all 
played an important role in building the Youngstown courthouse. My 
constituents and I will be forever grateful to Judge Lambos for his 
broad vision and commitment to justice.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, the text of 
which appears below.

                                 H.R.--

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,
     [[Page E293]] SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building located at 125 Market Street in 
     Youngstown, Ohio, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building''.
     

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