[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 73 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO JUDGE CHARLES R. SIMPSON III

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
ambassador of the law. Charles R. Simpson III, judge of the United 
States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, is a 
renowned fixture of the legal community in his home state as well as a 
world traveler, in his capacity as a member of the Committee on 
International Judicial Relations of the Judicial Conference of the 
United States. In that role, he serves as both a student and a teacher 
in courtrooms all over the world.
  Judge Simpson is also an old friend of mine. He graduated from my 
alma mater, the University of Louisville, where he received both his 
bachelor's degree in 1967 and his law degree in 1970. Soon afterwards, 
we both helped found the law firm of Levin, Yussman, McConnell & 
Simpson. Obviously it was not the last stop for either of us.
  After serving the public in county government, where I also served, 
Judge Simpson was appointed to the District Court by President Ronald 
Reagan in 1986. He has retained that post for nearly 20 years, rising 
to become one of the most respected voices in Louisville and throughout 
the State. But he also wanted to take his legal knowledge and his love 
of Kentucky and spread it beyond America's borders.
  Dating to a period in his youth when he studied painting and 
architecture in Europe, Chuck has enjoyed an adventurer's spirit. So he 
spearheaded the establishment of a sister-court relationship between 
his court and one in Croatia. Through this friendship, Croatians got a 
firsthand look at American jurisprudence, and Judge Simpson learned how 
the law deals with the difficulties of life in Eastern Europe.
  Because of his groundbreaking efforts, Chief Justice of the United 
States William H. Rehnquist appointed Judge Simpson to the Committee on 
International Judicial Relations of the Judicial Conference of the 
United States in 2004. His wide travels have included countries such as 
Russia, Croatia, Slovenia and Cyprus.
  Once on a visit to Ivanovo, Russia, Judge Simpson caused a minor 
international incident when he accidentally locked himself in the 
courtroom cage usually reserved for the defendant. Apparently, it was 
quite difficult to find the key. Everyone handled the situation with 
great humor, and Chuck struck a blow for diplomacy when his story made 
the front page of the local Ivanovo newspaper.
  In 1999 Judge Simpson was named outstanding alumnus of the University 
of Louisville's Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, and in 2000 the 
Louisville Bar Association named him judge of the year. He and his wife 
Clare have three children, one of whom, their daughter Pam, has served 
with distinction for 2 years in my Washington office.
  For his decades of service, the Kentucky Bar Association has named 
Chuck the 2005 outstanding judge of the year. They recognize that he is 
a superb representative of the American justice system to our friends 
across the world, and the knowledge he brings home from his travels 
enriches us all. Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join me in 
commending Judge Simpson for receiving this high honor, and for his 
service to the law and his country.

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