[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12047-S12048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DEDICATION OF THE ARNOLD UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President. I would like to draw the Senate's attention 
to a dedication ceremony occurring on September 28, 2007, in Little 
Rock, AR. The Richard Sheppard Arnold U.S. Courthouse, located at 500 
West Capitol Avenue, is named after one of Arkansas's rarest of men. 
Judge Arnold intertwined great skill in law with unmatched integrity 
and character.
  The late Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., once 
described his former law clerk as ``one of the most gifted members of 
the federal judiciary.'' Other colleagues point to Judge Arnold as a 
lifetime teacher, master of the written word, and a model of humility. 
In his obituary, which he wrote, Judge Arnold said that he thought if 
he left a mark on the world at all, it would be in his written 
opinions. However, he concluded that his administrative assignments 
were his most significant achievements. His legal career began at Yale 
College, where he earned a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in 1957 
followed by graduation magna

[[Page S12048]]

cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1960.
  Immediately out of law school, he served as a law clerk to Justice 
Brennan before joining the Washington, DC, office of Covington & 
Burling, also serving as a part-time instructor at the University of 
Virginia Law School. In 1964, he returned to Texarkana, AR, as a 
partner at Arnold & Arnold. During this time, he also began working as 
a legislative secretary to Governor Dale Bumpers and later moved to 
Washington, DC, when Bumpers was elected U.S. Senator.
  Judge Arnold's reputation for judicial brilliance and impeccable 
civility advanced while he served as the U.S. District Judge for the 
Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. He was confirmed again in 
1980 when President Carter nominated him to a new seat on the U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Judge Arnold served as chief 
judge from 1992 to 1998.
  In addition to his work on the bench, Judge Arnold's service and 
leadership extended into countless civic, political, and educational 
projects. He was the recipient of numerous awards, most notably the 
1996 Environmental Law Institute Award, Award for Service to Women in 
the Law from the St. Louis Women Lawyers Association in 1998, the 
Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award in 1999, and 
the Meador-Rosenberg Award for the Standing Committee on Federal 
Judicial Improvements of the American Bar Association in 1999. He also 
received honorary doctor of law degrees from the University of 
Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University 
of Richmond. He is also the author of many legal articles in many of 
the Nation's most respected law reviews and journals.
  The American Law Institute cites Judge Arnold's accomplishments as 
``remarkable by any measure'' and then adds ``they neither capture nor 
define the quality and spirit of the man who achieved them.'' The same 
is true for this courthouse. It cannot fully honor Judge Arnold for his 
contributions to society, but it does serve as a standing and strong 
reminder of an extraordinary Judge and the justice he pursued in and 
out of the courtroom.

                          ____________________