[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2472-E2473]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO CIRCUIT JUDGE JERRY WINCHESTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 4, 2007

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I want to bring to the notice 
of the House the long distinguished career of one of Kentucky's 
greatest attorneys, Jerry Winchester, who is returning to private life. 
His career spanned the wide expanses of the profession, from private 
practice to prosecuting attorney and judge. He was tough but fair, 
diligent and prepared--attributes that command the respect of anyone 
who has ever witnessed him in a courtroom.
  Circuit Judge Jerry Winchester is leaving the bench after 20 years of 
deciding major civil and felony criminal cases--the murders, assaults, 
robberies and drug cases. He brought closure to victims and justice to 
perpetrators and there was nobody better.
  His judicial circuit, made up of McCreary and Whitley Counties, has 
the highest caseload in Kentucky. Yet, he ran the court at a steady 
clip to handle the load, when it could have bogged down under less able 
leadership. He had few staff, and in the early years, none at all. He 
was the sole judge for over a decade and citizens counted on him alone 
for conducting speedy trials. This basic right, embodied in the sixth 
amendment of the Constitution, was upheld for thousands in southern and 
eastern Kentucky because of this one dedicated individual.
  As the Commonwealth's prosecuting attorney in the 70's and 80's, 
Jerry Winchester was not interested in ``running the numbers,'' or 
measuring success by how many people he put in prison. When offenders 
deserved harsh punishment, they got it. He weighed fairness and ethics 
to seek a punishment that fit the crime in those many cases where good 
judgment is the only thing that keeps justice from unraveling. The 
golden scales of justice were felt in the courtroom, it was witnessed 
over and over by judges, attorneys, victims, criminals and juries.
  Before serving as Commonwealth's Attorney, Jerry was a high school 
teacher, an FBI

[[Page E2473]]

agent and a lawyer in private practice. He served as a Sunday school 
teacher for 35 years. These real-life experiences made him understand 
people better, as the best judges and attorneys do.
  Now as Jerry heads into retirement he will have time to pursue his 
varied interests. These include taking up piano lessons with his seven-
year-old grandson Jerry Paul and ballroom dancing lessons with his wife 
Nell. When he masters the piano and ballroom dancing he can tend to his 
bees and keep making honey and hunt and fish.
  I am proud to know Jerry Winchester. There are only a few people like 
him. These rare individuals don't seek glory, and they don't have to. 
Faithfully adhering to legal principles as lives hang in the balance 
leads to its own recognition. It is unto itself and as pure as gold--it 
will never rust and will always shine. There is no substitute.
  Madam Speaker, I commend to you and our colleagues of the House, the 
outstanding career and public service model of the Honorable Jerry 
Winchester of Kentucky.

                          ____________________