[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 32 (Friday, March 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S2368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         JUDGE T. EMMET CLARIE

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, when my father served in the Senate, 
he felt that one of his most important responsibilities was 
recommending individuals to serve on the federal bench. He took great 
care in choosing the most qualified individuals to serve these lifelong 
appointments. His selections were a source of pride, but none greater 
than Judge T. Emmet Clarie. Judge Clarie was appointed to the federal 
bench in 1961, and he served our state and the country honorably for 
more than three decades as a U.S. District Judge. Sadly, Judge Clarie 
recently died at the age of 84.
  Upon his passing, Judge Clarie was praised by all those who knew him. 
One of his clerks referred to him as ``a second father.'' Another said 
that they ``learned much more working for him than they ever did in law 
school.'' A third called him ``the best teacher of lawyering you could 
imagine.''
  This admiration was shared by his colleagues on the bench. He was 
described by his peers as ``a judge's judge'' and ``a model and an 
inspiration to all his judicial colleagues.''
  Judge Clarie's career of public service extended far beyond the 
federal bench. He taught high school to help pay his way through law 
school. He served as chairman of the Killingly Board of Education from 
1938 to 1961. He was a state legislator for six years. He also served 
as clerk of the Connecticut Senate, prosecutor of the Killingly Town 
Court, and Commissioner of State Liquor Control Commission.
  The Judge was a skilled legal thinker, and he presided over perhaps 
the most complex criminal case in Connecticut history: the armed 
robbery of a Wells Fargo truck by foreign nationalists. But he will 
always be remembered for his common sense, his no-nonsense style, his 
fundamental fairness, more than anything else. When presiding over the 
case that involved the theft of millions of dollars and terrorists who 
were trying to fund a revolution, Judge Clarie saw beyond the 
defendants' hype and insisted all the while that they would be tried as 
simple robbers. He said, ``Common crimes do not become political crimes 
simply because the criminal is a would-be politician.''
  Judge Clarie may have sat on one of the highest courts in the land, 
but he never forgot his roots. He lived in eastern Connecticut for 
practically his entire life, and he commuted more than 100 miles round-
trip every day from his farm home in Danielson to his courtroom in 
Hartford. The Judge said that he needed to return to the country to be 
``refreshed'' every night. His roots helped shape his philosophy toward 
the law. He said: ``If the law is to mean anything, it means that all 
people--little and big--must comply with it.''
  T. Emmet Clarie was a straightforward jurist who brought a tremendous 
sense of fairness and equity to the bench. He was also a caring and 
honorable man who dedicated his entire life to public service and went 
out of his way to help others. The State of Connecticut is better for 
his service, and all those who were fortunate to know this great man 
will miss him dearly.

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