[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 98 (Monday, July 16, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1334-E1335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO CALIFORNIA'S SENIOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, THE LATE STANLEY 
                                  MOSK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 16, 2001

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to California's 
Senior Supreme Court Justice, the late Stanley Mosk.
  For the past 37 years, Mosk served as the court's independent voice 
and moral compass. His trailblazing decisions brought sweeping changes 
to California law long before such decisions were addressed at the 
national level. A vigorous advocate of individual liberties, Mosk lead 
state courts across the country to use their own constitutions to 
establish individual

[[Page E1335]]

rights beyond those required under the federal constitution. In 1976, 
Mosk wrote the opinion that bars the use of improperly obtained 
confessions arguing that such confessions could not be used to 
challenge the truthfulness of a defendant who later testifies. While 
the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for such use, Mosk invoked the state 
Constitution and did not approve the practice. His always careful, 
thoughtful and considerate opinions, totaling 1,688 over the span of 
his career, were widely regarded and highly acclaimed.
  Mosk, the longest-serving member in the court's 151-year history and 
only Democrat, was known for his shrewd political acumen and often 
criticized by his adversaries for his focused attention of the states 
shifting political climate. Nevertheless, Mosk remained dedicated to 
his role as a public servant and vigilant in his undertaking of civil 
and criminal law.
  A native of San Antonio, Mosk's career as a giant in the court began 
by serving 15 years on the Superior Court and six years as the State 
Attorney General. For a time, he served as the Democratic national 
committeeman from California but became weary of the fundraising 
component attached to political life and returned to the judicial 
branch as a member of the state Supreme Court.
  While Mosk's independent liberal voice will be missed, the legacy 
that he has left will continue to serve the people of California.

                          ____________________