[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 51 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING SANTA CLARA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE LEONARD EDWARDS ON HIS 
                       RETIREMENT FROM THE BENCH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2006

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and 
commend Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Leonard Edwards who is 
retiring in May after nearly 26 years on the bench.
  Former Governor Jerry Brown first appointed Edwards to the bench 
after he had established himself in San Jose, California as a lawyer 
specializing in juvenile law and criminal defense.
  Through the years, Edwards regularly ranked among the highest in 
local bar association surveys of the judges; and as his speeches and 
writings spread across the country, his reputation extended well beyond 
his chambers in San Jose.
  In 2004, Judge Edwards received the prestigious William Rehnquist 
award from the National Center for State Courts, which heralded him as 
one of the ``most effective and progressive trial judges in America.'' 
This honor is especially hard won in a court system whose primary 
purpose lies with complex and emotionally-charged issues of homes in 
crisis, juvenile offenders and victims of abuse and violence.
  While most judges choose to move as quickly as possible through the 
assignment of handling juvenile matters, Judge Edwards advocated 
innovative changes to the system. He fashioned new programs to unify 
families, deal with domestic violence, improve foster care and reform 
the approach to both dependents and delinquents in juvenile matters. 
Edwards is a judge who strongly promoted transparency in an otherwise 
secretive juvenile court system.
  In 1999, Judge Edwards established one of the country's first 
dependency drug treatment courts. He also founded the Juvenile Court 
Judges Association of California and was co-founder of the Santa Clara 
County Domestic Violence Council.
  Judge Edwards' innovations in juvenile justice made him an expert 
sought out by courts across the country. Although he is retiring from 
the bench, he will continue to focus on important social justice 
issues. Judge Edwards hopes to serve as a regular juvenile justice 
consultant for the California Administrative Office of the Courts and 
will continue to travel the country to provide expertise to juvenile 
courts elsewhere.
  Judge Edwards is also the son of my predecessor in office, the 
longtime San Jose Democratic congressman Don Edwards. Former 
Congressman Don Edwards served San Jose honorably in Congress for three 
decades and was a true mentor to me when I worked for him prior to my 
election to the seat he occupied after his retirement. San Jose has 
been blessed by these two men who clearly served its citizenry well.

                          ____________________