[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 136 (Wednesday, November 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11851-S11852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NAMING OF JAMES R. BROWNING FEDERAL COURTHOUSE

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I would like to speak briefly about 
legislation to rename the U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco after Judge 
James R. Browning. This legislation cleared Congress over the weekend. 
It is a long overdue honor for one of the Nation's finest public 
servants.
  I would like to thank my Senate friends and colleagues for their hard 
work and support, particularly Senator Boxer, who sponsored the 
Browning courthouse naming legislation. I would also like to recognize 
and thank Senator Hatch and Senator Stevens. Their efforts were crucial 
in moving this legislation across the finish line in the 109th 
Congress.
  Let me tell you about Judge James R. Browning. First, he is a great 
man

[[Page S11852]]

and a fine judge who has committed the better part of his life to 
promoting and improving the administration of justice. Montana is proud 
to call him one of their own, and I am proud to call him my friend.
  Judge Browning was born in Great Falls, MT, just like another famous 
Montana son--former Senate Majority Leader and Ambassador to Japan, 
Mike Mansfield. Judge Browning grew up in the small town of Belt, MT, 
and married his high-school sweetheart Marie Rose from Belfry, MT. 
Judge Browning received his law degree from the University of Montana 
in 1941, graduating at the top of his class. He worked for the 
Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice before joining the U.S. 
Army where he served in Military Intelligence for 3 years, attaining 
the rank of first lieutenant and winning the Bronze Star.
  After the war, he returned to the Justice Department, eventually 
rising through the ranks to become Executive Assistant to the Attorney 
General. In 1953, he entered private practice, leaving after 5 years to 
serve as the Clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court at the request of Chief 
Justice Earl Warren. In that position, he held the Bible during 
President John F. Kennedy's inauguration.
  In 1961, President Kennedy named James Browning to be a Circuit Judge 
of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Browning has 
served on that court with distinction and honor for more than 40 years, 
longer than any other judge in Ninth Circuit history. He was still 
working 6 days a week as an active federal judge when he turned 80 in 
1998, and he did not take senior status until November of 2000. He has 
participated in nearly 1000 published appellate decisions.
  Judge Browning was named chief judge of the Ninth Circuit in 1976. 
During his 12-year tenure as the chief judge, the Ninth Circuit 
expanded from 23 to 28 judges, eliminated its case backlog entirely, 
and reduced by half the time needed to decide appeals. He worked 
tirelessly to improve the administration of the courts, dramatically 
increasing the efficiency and productivity of the Ninth Circuit, all 
the while emphasizing collegiality and civility among his colleagues on 
the Ninth Circuit. Judge Browning's leadership and innovation sparked 
similar administrative reforms throughout the country.
  Judge Browning is held in the highest regard by both bench and bar 
across California, in Montana, and within the Ninth Circuit legal 
community. His rich and distinguished career spans more than six 
decades--most of it spent in public service. We have finally recognized 
his long service to his country and the Ninth Circuit by renaming the 
U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco in his honor. It is a long way from 
Belt, MT, but Judge Browning never forgot his roots, and now neither 
will the Ninth Circuit that he helped to build.

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