[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2403-E2404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES AND CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF JUDGE JERRY 
                               BUCHMEYER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 30, 2009

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
honor a trailblazing legal mind that changed the face of public housing 
and city elections, The Honorable Jerry Buchmeyer.
  Judge Buchmeyer, a retired U.S. District judge, was first appointed 
to the bench by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. His unwavering pursuit 
of fairness, in spite of the discriminatory practices that prevailed 
during this era,

[[Page E2404]]

led to laws being changed in the name of equality. Most notably, his 
work with public housing desegregation allowed lower income individuals 
access to neighborhoods once denied to them because of racial grounds.
  As a Representative from the Dallas area, I appreciate Judge 
Buchmeyer's contribution to fair housing in addition to city elections. 
It is important to note that in the early 1990s the Judge ordered an 
election system that required more single-member districts which 
increased the opportunity for fair representation city-wide.
  As much as he was known as a proponent of equality and fairness, he 
was also known for his great sense of humor and legal wit. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in expressing condolences and celebrating the 
life of Judge Jerry Buchmeyer.

                          ____________________