[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5112-S5113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO JUDGE DANNY J. BOGGS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
Kentuckian who is one of the finest legal scholars of his generation. 
Danny J. Boggs, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth 
Circuit, has served on the bench for 20 years, and over the course of 
his stellar career he has made many friends and impressed all who know 
him--this Senator included.
  Judge Boggs is renowned for having an engaging, active mind, with 
which he tackles not only the law but a host of other subjects. Well-
read in history, geography, literature, mathematics, and political 
science, he is a true Renaissance man. And not only does he voraciously 
ingest knowledge, he loves to share it with others.
  Ask any clerk or former clerk of Judge Boggs, and he or she will tell 
you: They are liable to be asked a question any time, on anything. One 
of his former clerks, who now works in my Washington office, recalls a 
time when Judge Boggs called in to the office while on a business trip 
to find out the population of Montana not the present-day State but the 
Montana territory.
  Judge Boggs delights in hiring clerks of any and all political 
persuasions, as long as they have a keen mind and are always ready for 
debate. Of course, these poor clerks know that Judge Boggs will almost 
always win. But his interest is not winning or losing. It is in 
ensuring that the final product--the legal brief--is as rigorous as it 
can be.
  Judge Boggs is infamous for giving a trivia quiz to his clerkship 
applicants although perhaps ``trivia'' is not the right word for it. He 
prefers the term ``general knowledge'' test. But I don't think there is 
anything general about the scope of Judge Boggs's knowledge. Just 
listen to one question from a recent test of his: ``If the moon were 
made of green cheese, and if green cheese floats in water, what is the 
most that the moon could weigh (within a factor of 10)?''
  Believe it or not, most of Judge Boggs's clerks actually enjoy 
running this intellectual gauntlet--so much so that three of them 
appeared as contestants on the popular television game show ``Who Wants 
to Be a Millionaire.'' Two of them picked Judge Boggs to be their 
``phone a friend'' lifeline a superior mind to turn to for a 
particularly difficult question. Judge Boggs himself has tried to be a 
contestant on the show, so far without success, but I suspect his true 
calling may be to work for the show and write the questions.
  Born in Havana, Cuba, Judge Boggs grew up in Bowling Green, KY, and 
earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1965. He earned 
his law degree in 1968 at the University of Chicago while being elected 
to Order of the Coif. After graduating, Judge Boggs taught at the 
University of Chicago Law School the following academic year--quite an 
accomplishment for a newly minted lawyer.
  Judge Boggs answered the call of public service in several capacities 
before he attained his current post. After a few positions in Kentucky 
State government, he ventured to Washington, where he served as 
Assistant to the Solicitor General, Assistant to the Chairman of the 
Federal Power Commission, and Deputy Minority Counsel for the Senate 
Energy Committee. Judge Boggs also worked in private practice, in the 
White House as a Special Assistant to the President, and from 1983 to 
1986 as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy.
  President Ronald Reagan appointed Judge Boggs to his current position 
in 1986, and on October 1, 2003, Judge Boggs became the Chief Judge of 
the Sixth Circuit. Many times, his opinions have been upheld 
unanimously by the Supreme Court, both when he is written in the 
majority and in dissent.
  He has taught American jurisprudence in the Soviet Union, the 
Commonwealth of Independent States, and Russia. Chief Justice of the 
United States William H. Rehnquist appointed Judge Boggs to several 
important posts

[[Page S5113]]

in the Judicial Conference of the United States, and Judge Boggs also 
served as chair of the Appellate Judges Conference of the American Bar 
Association from 2001 to 2002.
  Judge Boggs entire career has been marked by energy, accomplishment, 
and scholarly brilliance. His fertile, polymath's mind has unlocked a 
love of learning in countless others. And his 20 years of distinguished 
service on the bench of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 
has inspired us all. Mr. President, today I ask my colleagues to join 
me in commending Judge Danny J. Boggs for his 20 years on the bench and 
for his continued service to the law and his country.

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