[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 115 (Thursday, September 3, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9944-S9945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR CHARLES ALAN WRIGHT

 Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
a man for whom I have great respect; a man who inspired and taught me 
while I attended the University of Texas Law School. I am speaking of 
Law Professor Charles Alan Wright. Today is Charles Alan Wright's 
birthday. Charles Alan Wright is one of the most distinguished 
constitutional authorities in the country, a champion for racial 
justice, and the model of what a great lawyer should be. For more than 
forty years he has shaped and influenced generations of Texas lawyers 
while teaching at the UT Law School, including myself. Professor Wright 
also does not shy from a challenge. He has argued twelve times before 
the Supreme Court, winning most of his cases, some of them landmark 
decisions. As an author, Professor Wright has written one of the most 
definitive texts in the arena of law, Federal Practice and Procedure, 
cited by many as the bible for federal judges. His pursuit of 
professional excellence is mirrored by his righteous courage, having 
fought for desegregation and to put an end to racial intolerance.
  I would like to quote from the Austin American-Statesman: ``For 
Wright's accomplishments in the legal field, his country thanks him. 
For his sterling record as a professor, the university and its 
graduates thank him. For his personal courage in opening minds, all 
Austin should thank him.'' Happy Birthday Charles and thank you. I ask 
that the Sunday, June 21, 1998, Austin American-Statesman editorial 
paying tribute to Charles Alan Wright be printed in the Record.
  The editorial follows:

           [From the Austin American-Statesman June 21, 1998]

                         A Scholar and a Leader

       Charles Alan Wright is lucky enough to live in interesting 
     times and smart enough to make the most of it.
       A profile of this towering scholar and professor at the 
     University of Texas law school in today's editions by 
     American-Statesman reporter Mary Ann Roser is a testament to 
     his presence on campus and in the world at large.
       Wright has made an indelible imprint on the law school, an 
     institution he helped raise in stature in his tenure of more 
     than 40 years. And his impact in the legal profession will be 
     just as lasting, as his multi-volume bible of federal court 
     procedures, Federal Practice and Procedure, attests.
       Wright joined the law school faculty in 1955 and made an 
     immediate impression. From intramural football to the 
     controversial defense of President Richard M. Nixon in the 
     Watergate scandal, Wright has been involved both in the 
     school and in the life around him. As he is today as a member 
     of the legal team appealing the Hopwood decision by the 
     federal court of appeals.
       Wright brought status and stature to the UT School of Law. 
     His high profile and prestige certainly helped attract the 
     faculty that has kept the law school in the top rank in the 
     country.
       Wright will always be known for his work with the Nixon 
     defense team during the Watergate years and for his 
     involvement with the prestigious American Law Institute, for 
     which he served as president and vice president.
       Those intimate with the legal profession are impressed, 
     too, that three U.S. Supreme Court justices have appointed 
     him to the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and 
     Procedure of the Judicial Conference. He served the 
     conference from 1964 to 1993.
       But Wright's personal courage in challenging this 
     community's racial intolerance in

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     the early years of desegregation illuminates Wright the man 
     as much as his many professional accomplishments burnish 
     Wright the constitutional scholar.
       He fought personally to desegregate the private church 
     school his daughter attended, to desegregate the private 
     clubs and institutions on the University of Texas campus and 
     to spread the message of racial tolerance throughout the 
     community.
       For Wright's accomplishments in the legal field, his 
     country thanks him. For his sterling record as a professor, 
     the university and its graduates thank him. For his personal 
     courage in opening minds, all Austin should thank 
     him.

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