[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 100 (Tuesday, June 17, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5454-H5456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            ANDREW L. JEFFERSON ENDOWMENT FOR TRIAL ADVOCACY

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 31) recognizing the Honorable 
Andrew L. Jefferson, Jr., on the occasion of the establishment of an 
endowment for trial advocacy called the ``Andrew L. Jefferson Endowment 
for Trial Advocacy'' at Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall 
School of Law in Houston, Texas.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 31

       Whereas this distinguished gentleman graduated from the 
     University of Texas School of Law in 1959 and became a 
     partner with Washington and Jefferson, Attorneys at Law, in 
     Houston; he served as an assistant criminal district attorney 
     for Bexar County, a chief assistant United States attorney 
     for the Western District of Texas, and a trial counsel and 
     labor relations counsel for Humble Oil & Refining Company;
       Whereas in 1970, Andrew Jefferson was appointed judge of 
     the Court of Domestic Relations 2, Harris County, and in 
     1974, he was elected judge of the 208th District Court, 
     Harris County; in 1975, he decided to re-enter the practice 
     of law and is currently in private practice;
       Whereas Judge Jefferson was admitted to practice in the 
     United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Sixth 
     Circuit, and Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the 
     United States;
       Whereas a longtime active committee member of the State Bar 
     of Texas, he is also a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and 
     the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Texas Trial 
     Lawyers Association; he was formerly a member of the Texas 
     Constitutional Revision Commission;
       Whereas well known for his expertise in the legal field, 
     Judge Jefferson has been a highly sought-after speaker 
     throughout his career; he has been a frequent speaker at the 
     Criminal Law Institute for the Houston Bar Association and 
     the San Antonio Bar Association; he was a speaker for the 
     National Bar Association's convention and for the Family Law 
     Institute;
       Whereas a highly respected individual, Judge Jefferson has 
     been prominent in community organizations and activities 
     throughout his life and is noted for his leadership and sound 
     judgment;
       Whereas a former chairman of the board of the Houston 
     Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank and of the Texas Southern 
     University Foundation, he is a life member of the Houston 
     Area Urban League and the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People;
       Whereas he has been the recipient of a number of awards, 
     including the Anti-Defamation League National Torch of 
     Liberty Award, the Forward Times Community Service Award, the 
     League of United Latin American Citizens National Community 
     Service Award, and the Community Service Award from La Raza; 
     and
       Whereas an exemplary and distinguished gentleman, Judge 
     Jefferson is beloved and respected by his many friends and 
     the people of the legal community, and he deserves 
     recognition for his outstanding career and accomplishments: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives hereby 
     commends Andrew L. Jefferson,

[[Page H5455]]

     Jr., on his achievements and extends congratulations to him 
     on his selection as the First Endowed Chair of the Thurgood 
     Marshall School of Law Trial Advocacy Program.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, it is a true honor to have the opportunity to 
sometimes honor those who are quiet giants, who represent the 
embodiment of the best of America, those who have pulled themselves up 
by their bootstraps, and to have the success story written by their own 
pen, by their own ink. So I rise today to honor a great Texan, a great 
civil rights advocate and a great American. The resolution recognizes a 
great legal scholar, as well as a great institution of legal education 
located in Houston, Texas.
  Judge Andrew Jefferson is the embodiment of scholarship, of 
toughness, of respect, of fairness. He is respected by members of our 
community, Republicans and Democrats alike. He is respected by members, 
icons themselves, of the Texas Bar, and well-known around the Nation. 
He is cherished by the National Bar Association, the Houston Bar 
Association, the American Bar Association, and as well he is cherished 
by Texas Southern University and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
  This scholar is Judge Andrew L. Jefferson, and the institution that 
he cherishes is the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern 
University. Both embody the spirit of legal excellence and public 
service.
  As we talked this day on the celebration of Juneteenth, I am reminded 
of Representative Al Edwards, who organized Juneteenth, and we have 
celebrated under his leadership for 29 years. Juneteenth, as I 
indicated, was about freedom, and Judge Jefferson connotes freedom.
  Andrew L. Jefferson, a native of Dallas, Texas, graduated from the 
University of Texas School of Law in 1959. After earning his Bachelor's 
Degree from Texas Southern University, he was the President of the 
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and rose to become a partner at the law firm 
of Washington and Jefferson, Attorneys at Law, in Houston. He has 
served as an assistant criminal district attorney for Bexar County. 
These, Madam Speaker, were jobs that he was able to secure with his own 
talents way before integration came to the south.
  He was a Chief Assistant United States Attorney for the Western 
District of Texas. He was a pioneer for young lawyers, a pioneer in 
going in places in the law where African American lawyers could not go. 
In Houston, Texas, African American lawyers could not use the law 
library. They could not eat in the cafeteria. And, of course, he was a 
trial counsel and labor relations counsel for Humble Oil and Refining 
Company, the predecessor to Exxon.
  Each time, he was a pioneer, he explored new ground, and certainly as 
an African American getting his degrees in the late 1950s going through 
the 1960s before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1965 
and the Voting Rights Act, he truly braved new areas and stood for the 
dignity and respect of all in our community.
  Judge Jefferson served in the Judge Advocate General Corps in the 
United States Army Reserve. He was honorably discharged as a captain. 
Mind you, he was pioneering and doing all of this in the early days of 
the 1950s and 1960s.
  He has as his lovely bride another civic leader, Mary Jefferson, who 
I spoke to just last evening. I sent her my best greetings and those to 
Judge Jefferson, who is mending. We wish him a speedy recovery.
  But we also know he has strength and determination and is a role 
model to many. Mary Jefferson, his partner of many years, has served on 
many organizations herself. She is a strong advocate for quality 
education for our youth and for more opportunities for young people to 
go to college by expanding financial access, and she is a fighter for 
civil rights herself. She is a long-standing member of the Links in 
Houston.

                              {time}  1815

  A longtime, active committee member of the State Bar of Texas, Judge 
Jefferson is also a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a member of the 
American Bar Foundation, of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and of 
the Texas Constitutional Revision Commission. This outstanding jurist, 
who is renowned for his expertise in legal practice, has been a highly 
sought after speaker throughout his career and has frequently shared 
his experience and knowledge with the Criminal Law Institute for the 
Houston Bar Association, with the San Antonio Bar Association, and he 
has spoken in many places. He served on the board of the Houston branch 
of the Federal Reserve Bank and of the Texas Southern University 
Foundation.
  I remind my colleagues that Texas Southern University was borne out 
of discrimination when individuals in the State of Texas could not go 
to the University of Texas, as evidenced by the Heman Sweatt lawsuit.
  He has received numerous awards and honors, among them the Anti-
Defamation League's National Torch of Liberty Award, the Forward Times 
Community Service Award, the League of United Latin American Citizens 
National Community Service Award, and the Community Service Award from 
La Raza. In addition, he was the Presidential nominee to sit on the 
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
  To honor Judge Jefferson on this occasion will be momentous for the 
City of Houston, for Texas Southern University and for minorities 
worldwide who aspire to study and practice law.
  I congratulate Judge Jefferson for the life that he has led, for the 
young people whom he has been able to lead. Through his great service, 
the Texas Southern University Law School, the Thurgood Marshall School 
of Law, has established a trial advocacy program that will be in his 
name at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and it will be because of 
what he did for those he stood by and for those he managed to lead and 
to inspire.
  Judge Jefferson was a good friend and advisor to Barbara Jordan. He 
ran many campaigns, but as he continues to live his life, he will be 
renowned and will continue to be known for fighting for equality, for 
civil rights, for standing tall, and for never stepping away from a 
tough fight.
  So, as we acknowledge Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, I will say that 
he is the person who stood by her as she sought to expand the Voting 
Rights Act in her time in Congress.
  Judge Jefferson: A leader, a role model, a civil rights fighter, 
along with his wife, Mary Jefferson, icons of our community, patriots, 
and great Americans.
  I ask my colleagues to support the legislation H. Res. 31.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of House Resolution 31, recognizing the Honorable 
Andrew L. Jefferson, Jr. and congratulating him on his selection as the 
First Endowed Chair of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law Trial 
Advocacy Program at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.
  Mr. Jefferson, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, 
served as an assistant criminal district attorney for Bexar County, a 
chief assistant United States attorney for the Western District of 
Texas, and a trial counsel and labor relations counsel for Humble Oil & 
Refining Company. He was later elected judge of the 208th District 
Court in Harris County before returning to private practice.
  Mr. Jefferson received the Anti-Defamation League National Torch of 
Liberty Award, the League of United Latin American Citizens National 
Community Service Award, and the Community Service Award from La Raza.
  I join my colleagues in congratulating Mr. Jefferson, and in 
recognizing his distinguished career and community service.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, let me close by indicating

[[Page H5456]]

that Judge Jefferson is to be honored today for many reasons, but I 
hope one of the strongest reasons will be his ability to work with 
young lawyers and the excellent service that he gave as a member of the 
State bench.
  For those reasons, along with his commitment to civil rights and 
voter rights, I ask my colleagues to enthusiastically support H. Res. 
31, recognizing the Honorable Andrew L. Jefferson.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Texan, a great civil 
rights advocate, and a great American. My resolution recognizes a great 
legal scholar, as well as a great institution of legal education 
located in the 18th Congressional District of Texas.
  The scholar is Judge Andrew L. Jefferson, and the institution is the 
Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Both 
embody the spirit of the legal excellence and public service.
  Andrew L. Jefferson, a native of Dallas, Texas, graduated from the 
University of Texas School of Law in 1959, after earning his Bachelor's 
degree from Texas Southern University.
  He was president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and rose to became a 
partner with Washington and Jefferson, Attorneys at Law, in Houston.
  He has served as an assistant criminal district attorney for Bexar 
Country, a chief assistant United States Attorney for the Western 
District of Texas, and a trial counsel and labor relations counsel for 
Humble Oil and Refining Company.
  Each time, he was a pioneer, he explored new ground, and certainly as 
an African American, getting his degrees in the late 1950s, going 
through the 1960s before the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 
and 1965, and the Voting Rights Act, he truly braved new areas and 
stood for the dignity and respect of all in our community.
  Judge Jefferson served in the Judge Advocate General Corps in the 
U.S. Army Reserve, where he was honorably discharged as a captain.
  He has as his lovely bride another civic leader, Mary Jefferson, who 
I have the pleasure of serving with on a number of organizations. She 
advocates for quality education for our youth, and for more 
opportunities for young people to go to college by expanding financial 
access.
  A long-time active committee member of the State Bar of Texas, Judge 
Jefferson is also a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a member of the 
American Bar Foundation, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and the 
Texas Constitutional Revision Commission.
  This outstanding jurist, who is renowned for his expertise in legal 
practice, has been a highly sought-after speaker throughout his career, 
and has frequently shared his experience and knowledge with the 
Criminal Law Institute for the Houston Bar Association and the San 
Antonio Bar Association. Furthermore, Judge Jefferson has spoken at 
conventions for the National Bar Association and the Family Law 
Institute.
  Aside from the respect that he has earned as a skilled jurist and 
advocate, Judge Jefferson's leadership and sound judgment has merited 
tenures as chairman of the board of the Houston Branch of the Federal 
Reserve Bank and of the Texas Southern University Foundation. Moreover, 
he is a life member of the Houston Area Urban League and the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
  He has received numerous awards and honors, among them the Anti-
Defamation League National Torch of Liberty Award, the Forward Times 
Community Service Award, the League of United Latin American Citizens 
National Community Service Award, and the Community Service Award from 
La Raza. In addition, he was a Presidential Nominee to sit on the 
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
  To honor Judge Jefferson on this occasion will be momentous for the 
City of Houston, for Texas Southern University, and for minorities 
worldwide who aspire to study and practice law. He is an inspiration 
for minority students to give them confidence in their potential to 
succeed.
  I congratulate and thank the State of Texas for its contribution to 
the overall accrual of the resources that were required for the 
endowment.
  The establishment of a Trial Advocacy program at the Thurgood 
Marshall School of Law will be both an actual and a symbolic landmark.
  It was not in the Sixties, but only a few years ago, that I joined 
the students, legislators, and community leaders at Prairie View A&M 
University on the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight for 
fair and unobstructed voting rights for those students. It was the 
skilled advocacy of the Lawyer's Committee that produced a statement by 
the Secretary of State in favor of the students.
  Furthermore, the well-settled jurisprudence of case law such as Symm 
v. United States and United States v. Texas, which made important 
pronouncements as to the adequacy of students' residency/domicile 
status to determine eligibility to vote, were the product of skilled 
trial advocacy.
  Without the work of the skilled advocates who argued those cases, we 
would have an even longer journey to equality of the right to vote in 
this nation.
  Judge Jefferson was also a good friend and advisor to Barbara Jordan. 
They were strong friends together, because they believed in the 
empowerment of all. They fought side by side for equality and civil 
rights. When Barbara Jordan sought to expand the Voter Rights Act of 
1965 to Texas in 1968, Judge Jefferson was right by her side.
  My mentor, Barbara Jordan, was surrounded by the best and brightest, 
and Judge Jefferson was no exception.
  Therefore, the endowment that will be established in the name of the 
Honorable Andrew L. Jefferson, Jr. will provide a legacy and will 
produce legal scholars who will contribute to the achievement of 
equality in the United States of America.
  I congratulate the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern 
University and I thank Judge Jefferson for his service.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 31, which 
commends the Honorable Andrew L. Jefferson, Jr. This resolution honors 
the professional excellence aid community leadership of Judge Andrew 
Jefferson upon the establishment of an endowment for a trial advocacy 
chair in his honor at Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall 
School of Law in Houston, Texas.
  I believe that it is important for Congress to recognize the 
contributions of our constituents to the overall development of our 
communities. I commend Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, a 
distinguished Member of the Judiciary Committee from Texas, who 
introduced this legislation for highlighting the contributions of Judge 
Jefferson. It is vitally important that we all remember the many 
courageous leaders whose achievements make possible the work we do 
today.
  Judge Jefferson is a noted legal scholar and institution of legal 
education in the Eighteenth Congressional District of Houston, Texas. 
His experience ranges from service in the Judge Advocate General corps 
in the United States Army Reserve to labor relations. He has been 
appointed and elected to the Texas state courts and nominated for a 
seat on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to serving both 
the bar and bench, Judge Jefferson has participated in the life of the 
Houston community and has been honored by numerous organizations, 
ranging from the Anti-Defamation League to the League of United Latin 
American Citizens.
  The endowment of a chair in his honor at the Thurgood Marshall School 
of Law is a fitting tribute for such a distinguished member of the bar 
and community. I salute his record of achievement and encourage all 
Members to support this resolution in his honor.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I have no other speakers, and I would be 
happy to yield back my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 31.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________