[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 40 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E497-E498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF JUDGE BRUCE J. EINHORN IN RECOGNITION OF HIS EXEMPLARY 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2007

  Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today and 
recognize Judge

[[Page E498]]

Bruce J. Einhorn, a friend and champion who exemplifies the values of 
our great Nation. As a United States Immigration Judge in Los Angeles 
for over 15 years, Judge Einhorn worked diligently to protect the 
rights of individuals who seek residency in our country, and to 
preserve the human rights of those around the world. On March 8, 2007, 
community members and leaders throughout Los Angeles are joining 
together to honor Judge Bruce J. Einhorn in recognition of his years of 
service.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, ``The hope of a secure and 
livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to 
justice, peace and brotherhood.'' Judge Einhorn's jurisprudence, 
discipline, and refusal to simply conform to previous interpretations 
of the law when justice had not been served, makes him one of the most 
eminent and influential jurists of our time. Judge Einhorn was the 
first immigration judge to grant asylum to HIV-positive individuals and 
disabled children who faced socially-based persecution and the denial 
of medical treatment in their native countries. He has issued major 
decisions granting asylum to persecuted individuals: religious 
minorities, women facing ``honor killings,'' victims of female genital 
mutilation and of rape, racial and ethnic minorities, political 
dissidents, and gays and lesbians from many countries. Judge Einhorn 
has dedicated his entire career to maintaining the integrity of federal 
law and giving voice to those who deserve justice. Appropriately, Judge 
Einhorn was honored with the Daniel Ginsberg National Leadership Award 
in Civil Rights in 1999, and the award was presented to him at a 
ceremony at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia--the home 
church of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Before taking the bench as a judge, Bruce worked for the U.S. Justice 
Department's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) from 1979 to 1990. 
As a young lawyer he worked as the principal draftsperson of the 
Refugee Relief Act, which for the first time in our Nation's history, 
gave noncitizens the right to apply for asylum in the United States. 
His early career work on immigration policy complemented his later 
practices as a United States Immigration Judge adjudicating claims 
under the very statute which he helped draft. Also while at OSI, Bruce 
worked to identify and prosecute Nazi war criminals who resided 
illegally in the United States. In this work he traveled to far corners 
of our world to conduct eyewitness depositions. Whether in the drafting 
of a law, or the prosecution of a war criminal--from the earliest 
stages of his career Bruce determinedly sought justice.

  Even when away from the bench, Judge Einhorn never stops serving the 
public. Recently, as a leader within the Anti-Defamation League, he 
helped draft the Declaration of Los Angeles, which calls for a 
carefully balanced national policy of protecting homeland security and 
immigrant rights, and which has been adopted by the Los Angeles City 
Council, among other civil rights groups. Judge Einhorn is also a 
founding member of the ADL Latino-Jewish Roundtable of Los Angeles, and 
as Chair of the ADL's International Affairs Committee, he works with 
the Consuls General of Mexico, Germany, Canada, and Turkey on 
initiatives involving the international rights of women.
  In his quest not only to adjudicate, but also to impact and interpret 
humanitarian law for generations to come, Judge Einhorn has conducted 
continuing legal education seminars for the American Immigration Law 
Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is known for 
his extensive lecturing on the separation of church and state, and has 
lectured to federal district court judges on sentencing guidelines for 
those convicted of federally defined hate crimes. He has also served as 
an Adjunct Professor of International Human Rights Law and War Crimes 
Studies at the Pepperdine School of Law since 1991. As a founding 
member of both the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, 
and of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, Bruce has proven his 
commitment to furthering the principles of justice and tolerance.
  It is no surprise that Judge Einhorn has already been recognized with 
numerous awards for his extraordinary commitment to protecting human 
rights. For his work at OSI, he received three Justice Department 
Special Achievement Awards, the Attorney General's Special Commendation 
Award, and the Distinguished Graduate Award of New York University 
School of Law. For his judicial work, Judge Einhorn received the Human 
Rights Award of the Bah'ai community in Southern California, a 
Certificate of Merit from the Arab-American and Iran-American Bar 
Associations of Southern California, and a Lifetime Professional 
Achievement Award from the State Bar of California. However, knowing 
Judge Einhorn is to know that these deserved and honored awards are not 
held as the greatest accomplishments of his career. His greatest 
achievements stem from the lives forever changed in his courtroom.
  Madam Speaker, I recognize the Honorable Bruce J. Einhorn today in 
the United States House of Representatives, for adjudicating the laws 
enacted by this body with the utmost integrity, the sharpest of 
intellect, and a compassionate heart. I ask that my colleagues join me 
in saluting this exceptional man who has made inspiring contributions 
in public service and the legal profession. On behalf of the countless 
individuals to whom Judge Einhorn has given a voice and the opportunity 
to exercise their basic human rights and civil liberties, I say thank 
you and God's speed in your future endeavors.

                          ____________________