[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 68 (Tuesday, June 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E896-E897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE AMOS C. SAUNDERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2000

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the 
deeds of a man whom I and countless others consider to epitomize 
justice and fairness, the Honorable Amos C. Saunders of Totowa, New 
Jersey. Judge Saunders was recognized on Monday, May 15, 2000 at the 
Brownstone House in Paterson, New Jersey, because of his many years of 
service and leadership in the courtrooms of Passaic County, New Jersey. 
He marked the end of his stellar career when he retired on March 1, 
2000. It is only fitting that Judge Saunders be honored in the annals 
of this great body for his unwavering efforts in the name of the law.
  For the past 23 years Judge Amos Saunders has become one of the most 
well respected Superior Court Judges in the State of New Jersey. Judge 
Saunders has presided over criminal, civil and family courts and was 
the judge in Passaic County with the most judicial experience. Judge 
Saunders last sat in the Chancery Division, in which he served for the 
last 10 years. In doing his job, Judge Saunders' motto was, ``Use your 
common sense, be practical, read all the papers and listen.'' It is by 
these words that he served as judge, but anyone who knows Judge 
Saunders knows that these words simply understate his jurisprudential 
excellence. As a leader in the judicial community, Judge Saunders' 
rulings have often served as both a precedent and a resource for other 
judges.
  As a judge in the Chancery Division, Judge Saunders had the 
opportunity to handle probate, estate cases and injunctions. Over the 
years, however, Judge Saunders perhaps became best known as a 
nationally respected expert on the legal aspects of the sport of 
boxing. He handled many high profile boxing cases in his court 
including those of the prominent boxing promoters Lou and the late Dan 
Duva and Don King. In 1997, the International Boxing Digest magazine 
listed Judge Saunders as number 16 in the list of boxing's 50 most 
influential people.
  Born in Paterson on March 9, 1934 and raised in Paterson and Fair 
Lawn, New Jersey, Judge Saunders has spent his years in dedicated 
service to the community. Judge Saunders received his Bachelor of Arts 
degree

[[Page E897]]

from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. Upon graduation he enrolled in 
Columbia Law school in New York where he received his law degree in 
1958. During the first 18 years of his career, Judge Saunders worked as 
a private civil attorney from 1959 until 1977.
  In 1977, Judge Saunders was appointed to the Superior Court of New 
Jersey, Passaic County by then Governor Brendan T. Byrne, and took the 
bench on December 7, 1978. In addition to his work in the courtroom, 
Judge Saunders has served as a lecturer for the National Judicial 
College. He is also the founding president of the Justice Robert L. 
Clifford American Inn of Court. In addition, Judge Saunders served as 
Administrative Judge to the Bi-State Waterfront Commission of New York 
Harbor.
  In his retirement Judge Saunders has expressed interest in focusing 
on a new career, his family, his golf game, fishing and travel. In 
March of 2000 he began work at Carlet, Garrison and Klein, LLP in 
Clifton, New Jersey as Counsel to the Firm in Mediation and 
Arbitration. He currently resides in Totowa with his wife Janet, his 
high school sweetheart. The couple, who married in 1955, has three 
children and three grandchildren.
  As a Congressman and former mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, Mr. 
Speaker, I can say that Judge Amos Saunders has one of the finest 
judicial minds in the State of New Jersey. Furthermore, one of my sons, 
David, had the honor of serving as Judge Saunders' judicial clerk in 
1995 and 1996. I know that Judge Saunders has had a profound effect on 
his life.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, Judge Saunders' 
family and friends, the County of Passaic, the State of New Jersey and 
me in recognizing the extraordinary dedication, commitment and 
enthusiasm of Judge Amos C. Saunders in his service to the judiciary 
and to the people.

                          ____________________