[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO GRANT MITCHELL ARMSTRONG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 2004

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge and commend Grant 
Mitchell Armstrong on his retirement that celebrates a career spanning 
34 years of steadfastly guarding the ideals of criminal justice at the 
County of Santa Clara's Office of the Public Defender.
  With Mr. Armstrong's assistance, the Santa Clara County Office of the 
Public Defender was awarded the National Defender Leadership 
Institute's prestigious Gideon Award of Excellence for 2003. The Office 
was specifically recognized in areas of accountability, cost-
efficiency, innovation and effective representation of clients, and was 
cited as a ``Best Practices'' model for public defender offices 
nationwide.
  Mr. Armstrong played a key role in the recruitment and training of a 
multi-ethnic, multi-cultural cadre of attorneys within the Office. In 
May of 2000, the Office of the Public Defender was awarded the County 
Executive's Unity in Diversity Achievement Award for the significant 
staff diversity the Office achieved. While less than 15 percent of the 
lawyers in California are Black, Hispanic or Asian, 35 percent of the 
lawyers in the Office are minority group members and 45 percent are 
women.
  Mr. Armstrong also played a vital role in the Juvenile Drug Treatment 
Court through his leadership roles with the Mentoring Program that 
pairs young participants with adults committed to the development of 
healthy, drug-free lifestyles.
  I am proud and grateful to thank Grant Mitchell Armstrong for his 
significant contributions to our criminal justice system.

                          ____________________