[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN REMEMBRANCE OF JUSTICE REVIUS ORTIQUE, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. WILLIAM J. JEFFERSON

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  Mr. JEFFERSON. Madam Speaker, the death of Justice Revius O. Ortique, 
Jr. this past Sunday marked the passing of a true public servant and a 
selfless leader. A man of historic firsts, most notably the first 
African-American member of the Civil District Court in Louisiana, and 
the first African-American member of Louisiana's Supreme Court, he 
blazed a trail for others to follow.
  He was an outstanding lawyer, winning landmark civil rights cases, 
and serving as President of the National Bar Association. He served our 
community as a leader of our Urban League and chair of the New Orleans 
Aviation Board. He served our Nation, as an army officer and as an 
appointee to significant federal posts by five different Presidents.
  Justice Ortique was a man of community, of faith and of family. He 
was a man who loved justice and pursued it for himself and others his 
entire life. Our Nation is better for his service, his leadership and 
his commitment to his country. We pray God's comfort for his wife of 
over 60 years, Miriam; his daughter, Rhesa; and her husband, Alden; and 
his grandchildren, Chip, Heidi, and Todd.

                          ____________________