[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 136 (Thursday, September 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE MEMORY OF JUDGE JAMES E. MIES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. THADDEUS G. McCOTTER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2009

  Mr. McCOTTER. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the extraordinary 
life of Judge James E. Mies, a retired Wayne Circuit Court judge, who 
passed away Monday at the age of 81.
  For almost 25 years, Judge Mies pursued truth and impartiality behind 
the bench and was well-regarded both as a lawyer and a judge. Judge 
Mies was a 1951 graduate of the University of Detroit law school and 
served in the Livonia law firm of Brashear and Brashear. In 1969, he 
was elected a district judge in Livonia. In 1981, Governor William 
Milliken named Judge Mies to the Wayne Circuit Court, where he served 
until his retirement in 1993.
  Judge Mies was perhaps best known for his handling of Wayne County's 
numerous asbestos lawsuits. Colleagues remembered him as, first and 
foremost, a decent man whose rulings were meticulously thought out. 
Outside the courtroom, Judge Mies was active in the Optimists, the 
Michigan Cancer Foundation and other civic organizations and in 1993, 
the Livonia City Council named a park in his honor.
  On September 21, 2009, Judge Mies passed away after a lengthy 
illness. A beloved husband and father, he is survived by his wife of 59 
years, Mary Patricia, his sons Edward, James, Gerald and Michael, his 
daughters Jean and Catherine (Diamond), as well as thirteen 
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his son 
Thomas. The citizens of Wayne County were privileged to have been 
served by this erudite judge for a quarter of a century.
  Madam Speaker, Judge Mies is remembered as a philanthropist, mentor, 
and friend. As we bid him farewell, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
mourning his passing and honoring the contributions he made to society.

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