[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 64 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           JUDGE DAMON KEITH

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to offer my congratulations 
to Federal appellate Judge Damon J. Keith, recently named the 1997 
recipient of the American Bar Association's Thurgood Marshall Award.
  Judge Keith was born on Detroit's west side and attended Northwestern 
High School. After graduation from West Virginia State College, service 
in the U.S. Army during World War II, and graduation from Howard 
University Law School, Keith returned home to Detroit and set up a law 
practice. President Lyndon Johnson appointed Keith to the U.S. District 
Court in 1967 where he served until 1977, when he was appointed to the 
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He took senior status in 
1995.
  Mr. President, I join all his well wishers in saluting Judge Damon 
Keith and his illustrious career, and I ask that the following 
editorial from the May 12, 1997 Detroit Free Press be printed in the 
Record.
  The editorial follows:

      Damon Keith: Award Recognizes His Gifts of Justice, Service

       Congratulations to federal Judge Damon Keith on being named 
     the 1997 winner of the American Bar Association's Thurgood 
     Marshall Award. It is a richly deserved honor that reflects 
     not only the high esteem in which he is held by his peers but 
     also the commitment to social justice and equality to which 
     he has dedicated his life.
       The award, named in honor of the late Supreme Court justice 
     and the first African American to serve on that court, goes 
     annually to a nominee with a history of substantial and long-
     term contributions to the advancement of civil rights, civil 
     liberties and human rights in the United States. Judge Keith 
     is the sixth recipient since the award was conceived and 
     first given to Justice Marshall himself in 1992.
       A senior judge in the 60th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge 
     Keith has served 30 years on the trial and appellate benches. 
     His rulings on civil liberties, civil rights and equal 
     protection have given hope to many previously disfranchised 
     Americans.
       Like his mentor, Justice Marshall, Judge Keith is a patriot 
     of the first order. His commitment has never wavered to a 
     vision of America that lives up to the demands of the Bill of 
     Rights and treats each citizen with the dignity and respect 
     due him or her regardless of race, sex or social status. His 
     contributions offer promise of a society we have yet to 
     become but, with his leadership, will one day achieve.

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