[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E107-E108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PRESIDING JUSTICE ROBERT K. PUGLIA: JUDGE, SCHOLAR, WORDSMITH, TEACHER, 
                        PATRIOT, AND FAMILY MAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN T. DOOLITTLE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2005

  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues from 
California Mr. Berman, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Cox, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. 
Dreier, Mr. Farr, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Herger, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Issa, Mr. 
Lewis, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Lungren, Mr. McKeon, Mr. George Miller, Mr. 
Nunes, Mr. Pombo, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thompson, and Ms. 
Woolsey to pay tribute to Presiding Justice Robert K. Puglia, judge, 
scholar, wordsmith, teacher, patriot, and family man.
  Born in 1929, and raised in Westerville, Ohio, Robert K. Puglia came 
to California after high school to earn money for college. Returning to 
his Buckeye roots, he graduated from Ohio State University with a 
degree in political science, then fought in Korea and was a first 
sergeant in the Third Infantry Division. Following the war, he 
graduated from the University of California Boalt Hall School of Law in 
1958.
  He married Ingrid in 1959. They have four children--Peter, Susan, 
David, and Tom--and three grandchildren.
  Justice Puglia began his legal career as a Deputy Attorney General in 
Sacramento, then moved to the Sacramento County District Attorney's 
Office where he prosecuted the most serious cases. At age 34, he was 
named Chief Deputy District Attorney. In 1969, he became a partner in 
McDonough, Holland, Schwartz, Allen & Wahrhaftig. He was a Professor of 
Law at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and 
frequently taught at legal seminars. He also taught at California State 
University, Sacramento.
  Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him Judge of the Superior Court, 
County of Sacramento, in August 1971; Associate Justice of the Court of 
Appeal, Third Appellate District, in June 1974; and Presiding Justice 
in December 1974.
  Justice Puglia distinguished himself, in California and in the 
Nation, both as a prosecutor and a jurist, during his more than 40 
years in the law. Known for his keen intellect and clear reasoning, 
colleagues and litigants alike remember his sharp memory, gregarious 
personality, thorough consideration of issues, and effective 
leadership. His stewardship of the court was exemplary, marked by a 
respect for his colleagues and a concern for the independence of the 
judiciary. His administrative touch was light but firm and done with a 
sense of humor.
  After becoming a judge, Justice Puglia served on the Judicial 
Council, the State courts' governing council. He served as president of 
the California Judges Association and the National Council of Chief 
Judges of Courts of Appeal. Admired and respected by appellate judges 
everywhere in America, he often served as a member of the faculty of 
the Appellate Courts Institute, conducted annually by the California 
Center for Judicial Education and Research, and the Appellate Judges 
Seminar, conducted annually by the Institute of Judicial 
Administration, New York University School of Law.

[[Page E108]]

  Justice Puglia's opinions are marked by scholarship, common sense, 
clarity and eloquence, reflecting his philosophy of judicial restraint 
and his understanding of the proper role of the courts in a democratic 
society. He authored more than 4,000 opinions, of which 446 were 
published, including one opinion he wrote as Chief Justice pro tem of 
the California Supreme Court. A dynamic, innovative, collegial and 
respected leader and mentor, he retired from the Court of Appeal in 
November 1998. The Court of Appeal's library was dedicated and named in 
his honor in April 1999.
  Justice Puglia was chosen as the recipient of Boalt Hall's Judge D. 
Lowell Jensen Public Service Award in 2003. The Jensen Award is given 
each year to a prominent Boalt Hall graduate for his or her outstanding 
commitment to public service in the legal field. Judge Jensen 
personally presented the award at a special luncheon in Sacramento.
  Justice Puglia has the uncanny ability to become a quick-study expert 
in anything that catches his interest. Of his many hobbies, two merit 
mention: music and sports.
  Justice Puglia loves the big bands of World Ward II. He maintains a 
large collection of their music: Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie 
Shaw, Glenn Miller, and Harry James. He appreciates the vocal talents 
of Jo Stafford, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mercer (as much as a songwriter 
as a singer), Dick Haimes, and Nat ``King'' Cole. One of his favorite 
singers was a British singer from World War II named Vera Lynn. She 
sang to British troops and was their hero.
  Justice Puglia loves sports, but especially baseball. He supports his 
alma mater, Ohio State. In an era of many great sports heroes, he was 
partial to Bob Feller in baseball, Otto Graham in football, and Jerry 
Lucas in basketball, for their admirable characteristics both on and 
off the field of play.
  Justice Puglia is undeviating in his commitment to ethics and 
civility, to playing by the rules, in sports and in life. For several 
years, Justice Puglia's ethics and civility have provided a beacon for 
young baseball and softball players in Northern California. The 
Sacramento River Cats, who play in the AAA Pacific Coast League, 
annually select the most outstanding high school baseball (boys) and 
softball (girls) players for Justice Robert K. Puglia Good 
Sportsmanship Awards. These awards are given before capacity crowds at 
Raley Field every August, as the baseball season wanes. Both Art 
Savage, president/CEO of the Sacramento River Cats, and Branch Rickey, 
president of the Pacific Coast League, have declared Justice Puglia is 
the perfect civic exemplar for Sacramento's, California's, and 
America's young people.

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