[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 34 (Thursday, March 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF RETIRED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE 
                                BLACKMUN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BRUCE F. VENTO

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 1999

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened by the passing of 
Retired Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Justice Blackmun lived 
a productive life of 90 years and was a well-respected legal mind. An 
Illinoisan by birth, Blackmun was raised in St. Paul's East Side--my 
lifelong home which I am today honored to represent. Before his 24 
years of service on the nation's highest court, Blackmun practiced law 
in the Twin Cities for nearly 20 years.
  As Blackmun himself always said, he will be remembered most for his 
controversial authorship of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court 
decision. Despite the philosophical, moral and theological retribution 
that he experienced for his decision, Justice Blackmun believed, ``The 
right of privacy * * * is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision 
whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.'' Blackmun had the strength 
of his convictions and the courage and integrity to pursue and 
implement such judgment.
  Justice Blackmun was a man of constant adaption and change, adjusting 
to the times gracefully. During his early days on the court, he was 
considered among its most conservative and he was referred to as ``The 
Minnesota Twin'' of fellow East Sider and kindergarten classmate, Chief 
Justice Warren E. Burger, for their identical voting patterns. By the 
end of his first decade on the court, however, Blackmun's independent 
streak became apparent and he was ironically considered among the 
court's most liberal. Justice Blackmun wrote for the court when it 
ruled that Congress has the power to enforce local compliance with 
federal laws requiring overtime pay for more than 40-hour work weeks 
and became the lone dissenter advocating for the rights of Haitians to 
have hearings before being forced to return to their homeland. As a 
Member of Congress, most of our efforts and utterances are seldom put 
to work, but it was a real honor to have Justice Blackmun employ my 
comments in an objecting dissent brief to the severance tax policy.
  In the twilight of his life, at the age of 88, the retired Justice 
even tried his hand at acting, playing a cameo role as a supreme court 
justice in Steven Spielberg's ``Amistad.'' It was a natural role for 
this great American jurist.
  Justice Blackmun's spirit will live on through his contributions to 
society. He leaves a wonderful legacy. Blackmun is survived by his 
wife, Dorothy, and three daughters. My sympathy and best wishes to 
them.

                          ____________________