[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN MEMORY OF JUDGE WILLIAM MATTHEW BYRNE, JR.

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am deeply saddened to inform you 
of the passing of Judge William Matthew Byrne, Jr. I would like to take 
a few moments to recognize Judge Byrne's many important accomplishments 
and the tremendous impact he made on the judicial system.
  William Byrne was born in East Los Angeles in 1930 and attended 
Loyola High School and the University of Southern California. Before 
becoming a Federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, he served as a judge 
advocate from 1956 to 1958 in the U.S. Air Force. In 1967, he was 
appointed as U.S. attorney by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1970, 
when President Richard Nixon created the President's Commission on 
Campus Unrest, he chose William Byrne as its executive director.
  Byrne became the youngest judge ever appointed to the Federal bench 
when he was confirmed in 1971 at age 40, and he served as the Central 
District's chief judge from 1994 to 1998. In more than 30 years of 
service on the Federal bench, Judge Byrne had the opportunity to handle 
many cases. He is, however, best known for presiding over the Pentagon 
Papers case, which was assigned to him just 2 years after his 
confirmation as a Federal judge. The Pentagon Papers case involved 
military analyst Daniel Ellsberg and co-defendant Anthony J. Russo, Jr. 
who were indicted on 12 Federal counts, including conspiracy, theft of 
Government property, and espionage after an unauthorized release of a 
secret study of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Judge Byrne 
dismissed the case in 1973 after ruling that it was the Government that 
was guilty of misconduct.
  I invite all of my colleagues to join me in recognizing and honoring 
Judge William Matthew Byrne, Jr., for his long and distinguished 
service to our country.

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