[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 13 (Monday, February 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO JUDGE MICHAEL FARRELL AND JUDGE LELAND B. HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                           HON. BRAD SHERMAN

                             of california

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 14, 2000

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, we rise today to pay tribute to Judge 
Michael Farrell and Judge Leland B. Harris, who will be honored on 
February 17, 2000, by the San Fernando Bar Association (SFVBA). Judge 
Farrell will be named the San Fernando Valley Bar Association Judge of 
the Year and Judge Harris will be presented with a Special Recognition 
Award.
  Judge Farrell has enjoyed a long and distinguished judicial career. 
He currently serves as the Supervising Judge of the Los Angeles 
Superior Court Northwest District. He was elevated to this position in 
1989, after being appointed to the Municipal Court Bench in 1986 by 
former Governor Deukmejian. Prior to that, he served as a U.S. 
Bankruptcy Court Trustee, and was an attorney for the San Fernando 
Valley Neighborhood Legal Services, Global Marine, Inc., and the law 
firms Early, Maslach, Foran & Williams; Hunt & Finn; and his brother's 
firm Coleman & Farrell.
  In addition to his numerous and substantial judicial 
responsibilities, Judge Farrell has been working with the SFVBA, 
Neighborhood Legal Services, and the Monroe High School magnet program 
to start a pilot self-help program. The program will provide free legal 
information and legal services to the public. He has also taken an 
active role in seeking Los Angeles County funds to repair the damage to 
his courthouse caused by the Northridge Earthquake.
  Judge Harris will be honored for his dedicated service and work with 
the Calabasas Teen Court Program--a program run by teens, and for teens 
that is designed to interrupt developing patterns of criminal behavior, 
promote self-esteem and provide motivation for self improvement and a 
healthy attitude toward authority.
  Judge Harris graduated from San Fernando Valley State College (now 
Cal State Northridge) and the University of San Diego School of Law. He 
was appointed to the Municipal Court by former Governor Deukmejian in 
1991. Prior to this appointment he served as a Los Angeles County 
Deputy District Attorney, including many years at the San Fernando 
Court. During this time, many of his accomplishments were in the area 
of nursing home reform. He was instrumental in changing a section of 
the penal code in 1986 to expedite the testimony of elderly crime 
victims and witnesses.
  It is our distinct pleasure to ask our colleagues to join with us in 
saluting both Judge Farrell and Judge Harris for their outstanding 
achievements, and to congratulate them for receiving the prestigious 
honors granted them by the San Fernando Valley Bar Association.

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