[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 203 (Monday, December 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H14982-H14983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               JAMES L. FOREMAN UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2689) to designate the United States Courthouse located at 
301 West Main Street in Benton, IL, as the James L. Foreman United 
States Courthouse.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2689

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States Courthouse located at 301 West Main 
     Street in Benton, Illinois, shall be known and designated as 
     the ``James L. Foreman United States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the building referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``James L. Foreman United States Courthouse''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest].
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for Illinois [Mr. 
Poshard] for introducing this legislation. Mr. Speaker, Judge Foreman 
is a lifelong resident of Massac County, IL and has had a distinguished 
career in the legal profession. In 1972 Judge Foreman was appointed by 
President Nixon as a United States District Judge. Twenty years later 
Judge Foreman took senior status where he maintains an active case load 
today. During his tenure, he was chief judge for 14 years. He is known 
for his fairness and his administrative, as well as judicial, skills 
and was instrumental in creating a court management system to relieve 
the court of administrative burden in the judicial proceedings. I urge 
my colleagues to support the bill.
  My Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. H.R. 2689 would recognize the career contributions of Judge 
James L. Foreman of Illinois. He became instrumental in instituting 
formal case management practices long before it was mandatory. He has 
served the Federal judicial system with distinction and diligence since 
1972 after serving as an assistant attorney general for the State of 
Illinois.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Poshard], my 
friend who is on his way over here, from what I understand, in 
supporting this bill. I 

[[Page H14983]]
also support comments made by the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. 
Gilchrest] and urge passage of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, in the event the 
gentleman from Illinois should pop in here at the last second.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his 
words, and I thank the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Poshard] for 
introducing this legislation. I urge its adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Poshard], a man who is never to be 
denied; a man without peer who has worked hard on this legislation. He 
is a very, very valuable member of our Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure. Now that the gentleman has caught his breath, I yield 
to him.
  Mr. POSHARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2689, a 
bill to name the U.S. Courthouse in Benton, IL the ``James L. Foreman 
Courthouse.'' I introduced identical legislation during the 103d 
Congress, and am pleased to note that it passed the House by voice 
vote. Unfortunately, the Senate did not act on the bill before it 
adjourned.
  Judge Foreman has had an outstanding career on the Federal bench. He 
was appointed to the Federal bench in 1972, after serving as an 
assistant attorney general for Illinois and Massac County State's 
attorney from 1960-1964. He became chief judge in 1978 and continued in 
this position until 1992, when he became a senior district judge.
  Originally, the district was known as the eastern district of 
Illinois because it covered a large area ranging from the outskirts of 
Chicago south to Champaign-Urbana, and covered the entire southern 
section of Illinois. At Judge Foreman's suggestion, the boundaries of 
the Federal judicial districts in Illinois were reviewed and the 
present judicial district was renamed the southern district, which is 
composed of the 38 southernmost continuous counties of the State.
  Judge Foreman was instrumental in instituting a formal case 
management system long before the concept was mandated for all Federal 
courts. The southern district also established court facilities at the 
maximum security U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, IL, in order to 
accommodate the special security concerns involved with these 
prisoners.
  Judge Foreman has also served on the Judicial Resource Committee of 
the Judicial Conference of the United States. On several occasions he 
has been appointed to sit by designation in cases before the U.S. Court 
of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and in the U.S. District Court for 
the Western District of Kentucky.
  Judge Foreman has served with honor and distinction during his tenure 
on the Federal bench. I believe it would be most appropriate to 
recognize Judge Foreman's many contributions by naming the courthouse 
in Benton, IL, for him.
  I want to thank Public Buildings and Economic Development 
Subcommittee Chairman Gilchrest, its ranking member Mr. Traficant, 
Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Shuster, and ranking member 
Mr. Oberstar for their support of this important legislation.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. 
Poshard] and his work and his effort, and I urge passage of this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hayworth). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Gilchrest] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2689.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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