[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 440. A bill to designate a United States courthouse to be 
constructed in Fresno, California, as the ``Robert E. Coyle United 
States Courthouse''; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce legislation to 
name the Federal courthouse building now under construction at Tulare 
and ``O'' Streets in downtown Fresno, CA the ``Robert E. Coyle United 
States Courthouse.''
  It is fitting that the Federal courthouse in Fresno be named for 
Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Coyle, who is greatly respected 
and admired for his work as a judge and for his foresight and 
persistence which contributed so much to the Fresno Courthouse project. 
Judge Coyle has been a leader in the effort to build a new courthouse 
in Fresno for more than a decade.
  In the course of his work, Judge Coyle, working with the Clerk of the 
United States District Court for the Eastern District, conceived and 
founded a program called ``Managing a Capitol Construction Program'' to 
help others understand the process of having a courthouse built. This 
Eastern District program was so well received by national court 
administrators that is now a nationwide program run by Judge Coyle.
  In addition to meeting the needs of the court for additional space, 
the courthouse project has become a key element in the downtown 
revitalization of Fresno. Judge Coyle's efforts, and those in the 
community with whom he worked, produced a major milestone when the 
groundbreaking for the new courthouse took place.
  Judge Coyle has had a distinguished career as an attorney and on the 
bench. Appointed to California's Eastern District bench by President 
Ronald Reagan in 1982, Judge Coyle has served as a judge for the 
Eastern District for 20 years, including 6 years as senior judge. Judge 
Coyle earned his law degree from University of California, Hastings 
College of the Law in 1956. He then worked for Fresno County as a 
Deputy District Attorney before going into private practice in 1958 
with McCormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Coyle & Wayte, where he remained 
until his appointment by President Reagan.
  Judge Coyle is very active in the community and has served in many 
judicial leadership positions, including: Chair of the Space and 
Security Committee; Chair of the Conference of the Chief District 
Judges of the Ninth Circuit; President of the Ninth Circuit District 
Judges Association; Member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar 
of California; and President of the Fresno County Bar.
  My hope is that, in addition to serving the people of the Eastern 
District as a courthouse, this building will stand as a reminder to the 
community and people of California of the dedicated work of Judge 
Robert E. Coyle.
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