[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 152 (Tuesday, November 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             A TRIBUTE TO HER HONOR DEBORAH STEVENS MODICA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 4, 1997

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate 
Deborah Stevens Modica, who was sworn in as a judge on October 17, 
1997. Mrs. Stevens Modica has represented the people as a prosecutor in 
the offices of the district attorney in New York for nearly 20 years, 
and, in light of the recent implementation of the death penalty in my 
State, has become the expert in New York and one of the top experts 
across the country on this issue.
  A graduate of Fordham University and Fordham Law School, Mrs. Stevens 
Modica was admitted to the bar in 1978 and has since worked diligently 
to rise through the ranks in the district attorney's office. Starting 
in Queens, she moved from a researcher in appeals bureau to trial 
lawyer on the supreme court, major offense and homicide bureaus to 
chief of the appeals bureau from 1978 to 1989.
  In 1990, she moved on to the district attorney's office of Kings 
County, where she started as the chief of the supreme court bureau. Her 
work there earned her a promotion to executive assistant district 
attorney in 1991. In 1995, she was promoted yet again to deputy 
district attorney. Her extensive knowledge of the justice legal system 
continued to grow, gradually catching the eye and gaining the respect 
of experts in the law profession across the country.
  In addition to her mastery of law, she is a generous woman, devoting 
hours of time each month to the Adopt-A-School program which teaches 
fifth grade students how the legal system works. She was instrumental 
in successfully implementing this program in the schools in Brooklyn 
after a study proved that children 10 years old are at the most 
impressionable age in making decisions about the law.
  Most amazingly, Mrs. Stevens Modica raised five daughters ranging in 
age 5 to 27. Her perseverance in work, the community, and family has 
undoubtedly paid off, as evidenced by her appointment as judge to the 
criminal court in the city of New York. My warmest regards to Her 
Honor, Judge Deborah Stevens Modica.

                          ____________________