[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 16, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7883-S7884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NOMINATION OF ANDREW S. EFFRON TO BE A JUDGE ON THE U.S. COURT OF
APPEALS FOR THE ARMED FORCES
Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, on July 10, 1996 the Senate confirmed the
nomination of Andrew S. Effron to be a judge on the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Armed Forces. I want to take a few moments today to
speak about this fine individual, who as many in the Senate know, has
served on the staff of the Committee on Armed Services since 1987.
I ask unanimous consent that a copy of Andy's complete and impressive
biography be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(See exhibit 1.)
Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, Andy comes from a family with a strong
tradition of public and community service. His parents, Marshall and
Marion Effron, have been deeply involved in political, civic, and
charitable organizations in Andy's hometown of Poughkeepsie, NY. Andy's
wife, Barbara, has held numerous offices in PTA and civic associations
in Arlington and Fairfax Counties. Their children are continuing the
tradition. Robin, a rising senior at W.T. Woodson High School, is on
the student council and serves as an officer for the chorus, Model
U.N., and Tri-M arts society. Michael, who will be entering seventh
grade next year, was vice president of the Student Council at
Canterbury Woods Elementary School, and he is also an All-Star Little
Leaguer.
Andy's confirmation hearing on July 9 was a bittersweet day for me
and, I am sure, for all the members of the committee. It was sweet
because we were so pleased that someone whom we have known and worked
with for so long and whom we have admired and respected for his
extraordinary ability and expertise had been nominated by the President
to be a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
It was bitter, though, because the committee will soon be losing one
of the finest talents the committee has ever had the good fortune of
having on its staff.
The Armed Services Committee first became familiar with Andy Effron
in 1986 when he was in the Office of the General Counsel of the
Department of Defense and was one of three individuals from the
Department who worked with us during the Senate-House conference on the
Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act. We were so
impressed with Andy's expertise that we asked him to join the staff the
following year and he has continuously confirmed our initial judgment
ever since.
Andy has not just confirmed our initial judgment, he has consistently
demonstrated an amazing capacity for hard work, an ability to perform
at the highest level, and a willingness to tackle and master any issue
of importance to the committee. As a matter of fact, Andy has been
involved in so many important matters--important to the committee, to
the Department of Defense, and to our national security--that I won't
even attempt to enumerate them because the list would fill many pages
of the Record.
Suffice it to say, that Andy Effron epitomizes the best in what a
professional staff member should be. He is a consummate professional
whose hallmarks of service have been his loyalty and his dedication.
This Senator, and indeed the entire Senate, have been the fortunate
beneficiaries of Andy's good judgment and wise counsel.
It was a wonderful tribute to Andy that his nomination, following
close scrutiny, received the unanimous bipartisan support that it did.
Those of us who have known and worked with Andy for so many years, of
course, were not surprised.
Mr. President, I commend the President for nominating Andy Effron to
this very important position. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed
Services will be gaining an extraordinary legal talent in the very near
future. While the Senate is losing one of the very best to have ever
served, gratefully Andy Effron will continue to
[[Page S7884]]
serve the U.S. Armed Forces and the Nation. I am proud of Andy Effron
and grateful to him for all the many sacrifices he has made in the
course of his long service to the committee. I wish Andy and his family
much continued happiness.
Exhibit 1
Biography of Andrew S. Effron
Andrew S. Effron serves on the staff of the Senate Armed
Services Committee as Minority Counsel. He previously has
served as the Committee's General Counsel (1988-95) and
Counsel (1987-88).
Prior to joining the Committee, he served as an attorney-
adviser in the Department of Defense Office of General
Counsel (1977-87); as Trial Counsel, Chief of Military
Justice, and Defense Counsel in the Office of the Staff Judge
Advocate, Fort McClellan, Alabama (1976-77); and as a
legislative aide to the late Representative William A.
Steiger (1970-76; 2 years full-time, the balance between
school semesters).
Mr. Effron was born September 18, 1948 in Stamford,
Connecticut, and raised in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he
graduated from Poughkeepsie High School (1966). He is a
graduate of Harvard College (1970, B.A., magna cum laude),
where he was Editor in Chief of the Harvard Political Review;
Harvard Law School (1975, J.D. cum laude), where he was
Executive Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights Civil Liberties
Law Review; and the Judge Advocate General's School, U.S.
Army (Basic Course Distinguished Graduate, 1976; Graduate
Course, by correspondence, 1984).
Mr. Effron's publications include: ``Supreme Court--1990
Term, Part I,'' Army Lawyer, Mar. 1991, at 76 (with Francis
A. Gilligan and Stephen D. Smith); ``Supreme Court Review of
Decisions by the Court of Military Appeals: The Legislative
Background,'' Army Lawyer, Jan. 1985, at 59; ``Post-Trial
Submissions to the Convening Authority Under the Military
Justice Act of 1983,'' Army Lawyer, July 1984, at 59;
``Military Participation in United States Law Enforcement
Activities Overseas: The Extraterritorial Effect of the Posse
Comitatus Act,'' 54 St. John's L. Rev. 1 (1979) (with Deanne
C. Siemer); ``Punishment of Enlisted Personnel Outside the
UCMJ: A Statutory and Equal Protection Analysis of Military
Discharge Certificates,'' 9 Harv. CR-CL L. Rev. 227 (1974).
Mr. Effron's awards include the Army Meritorious Service
Medal (1977); the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (1979);
and the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service
Medal (1987).
Mr. Effron and his wife, Barbara, live in Annandale,
Virginia. They have a daughter, Robin, and a son, Michael.
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