[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2516-H2517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JOHN C. GODBOLD UNITED STATES JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4275) to designate the annex building under construction for
the Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building in
Atlanta, Georgia, as the ``John C. Godbold United States Judicial
Administration Building'', as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4275
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The annex building under construction for the United States
courthouse located at 56 Forsyth Street in Atlanta, Georgia,
known as the Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals
Building, shall be known and designated as the ``John C.
Godbold Federal Building''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the annex building
referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to
the ``John C. Godbold Federal Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-
Balart) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.
General Leave
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4275.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague and
my friend Mr. Cummings for yielding. I will not take the 5 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution to name the
annex building at the United States Courthouse on Forsyth Street in
downtown Atlanta, Georgia, as the ``John C. Godbold Federal Building.''
Judge John C. Godbold was born in 1920 in Coy, Alabama, about 100
miles to the west of my hometown of Troy.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson appointed Judge Godbold to the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, a key post due to
the many civil rights cases before the circuit during the fifties, the
sixties and seventies.
Judge Godbold holds the distinction of being the only judge in the
history of the United States to be the chief judge of two separate
judicial circuits, the Fifth, and then later the 11th Circuit in
Atlanta. It is with this legislation that we recognize the significant
achievement of Judge Godbold and thank him for his many years of
service to this country.
Madam Speaker, I would especially like to express my sympathy to
Judge Godbold's family, friends, and colleagues on the judge's recent
passing in December 2009.
Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Madam Speaker, I'd like to yield
myself such time as I may consume.
The gentleman from Georgia, I think, just did a great job explaining
why we are here today. I'm not going to go through, again, this
distinguished American's extensive record of public service. I do want
to, though, as the gentleman from Georgia just mentioned, highlight
what he just said, that this is the first person to serve as chief
judge in two different Federal circuits, which is really a remarkable
achievement.
Also, prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Godbold was in
private practice, but he also served in the U.S. Army. I always like to
highlight when we're here on the floor and we're doing something like
naming a building, if, in fact, someone has also served in the U.S.
military, which I think is the most noble way to serve our country. I
think it's important to highlight.
So again, I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for
bringing this bill. I understand that the entire Georgia delegation is
not only supporting this legislation but are cosponsors with him.
Again, this is an individual who has an extensive record of public
service.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I just want to associate myself with the words of both
of my colleagues and urge the Members of this body to support this
resolution.
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my
strong support for H.R. 4275 to designate the annex building under
construction for the Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals
Building in Atlanta, Georgia, as the ``John C. Godbold United States
Judicial Administration Building.'' I would also like to commend John
Lewis, the sponsor of this resolution, for his commitment to preserving
the accomplishments of John C. Godbold.
The recognition of the accomplishments of Judge John C. Godbold is
well overdue. John C. Godbold, born in Coy, Alabama, attended Auburn
University and graduated in 1940. Shortly thereafter, he attended
Harvard Law School. His studies were interrupted however,
[[Page H2517]]
by World War II. He put his studies on hold and joined the Army, where
he served as a Major in Europe. After the war, he went back to Harvard
Law School to achieve his Juris Doctor degree. Upon graduation, Godbold
went into private practice with Richard T. Rives. In 1966, Godbold was
appointed to serve as a judge on the Fifth Circuit by President Lyndon
Johnson.
After numerous attempts to divide the Fifth Circuit, in 1980 the
politics finally gave way to the urgency of doing something about the
immense workload of the Fifth Circuit. After receiving petitions signed
by every district and circuit judge and every bar association within
the circuit, Congress conducted formal hearings and approved on October
14, 1980, the division of the court into two circuits. A new smaller
Fifth Circuit Court would stay in New Orleans and exercise appellate
jurisdiction over cases originating in Louisiana, Texas, and
Mississippi, and a brand new Eleventh Circuit would be located in
Atlanta and hear cases coming from Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. The
split became official on October 1, 1981, and the twelve judges living
in the Eleventh Circuit states all elected to join that circuit, while
the 14 judges living within the new fifth chose to stay with that
Circuit. Atlanta was now home to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals,
and Judge John C. Godbold, who had been chief judge of the old Fifth,
became chief of the new Eleventh.
This made Judge Godbold the only person in United States history to
serve as the Chief Judge on two separate judicial circuits. In 1987,
Judge Godbold became the Director of the Federal Judicial Center in
Washington, D.C., for a three-year term, after which he returned as a
senior judge. The center is the research and training facility of the
Federal Judiciary. In 1990, Judge Godbold was honored by being named
the Leslie S. Wright Distinguished Professor at the Cumberland Law
School in Birmingham. He was also honored with the Edward J. Devitt
Distinguished Service to Justice Award in 1996 and inducted into the
Alabama Academy of Honor in 2002. The Honorable Judge John C. Godbold
died on December 22, 2009, leaving behind a legacy that will continue
to resonate in history.
As a member of the Judiciary, Subcommittee Chairman on Courts and
Competition Policy, and a former judge myself, I cannot express enough
how important this man's life was. He symbolized the epitome of what
lawyers and judges strive to be, the character that all of us should
strive to show. Please join me and support this resolution to honor
Judge John C. Godbold.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4275,
as amended, introduced by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), to
designate the annex building under construction for the Elbert P.
Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta, Georgia, as
the ``John C. Godbold Federal Building''.
Judge Godbold was a graduate of Auburn University and of Harvard Law
School. He was the first person to ever serve as Chief Judge of two
different Federal Circuit courts, Judge Godbold assumed senior status
in 1987 and served as Director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1987
to 1990. In addition, he was a professor of law at the Cumberland
School of Law of Sanford University.
Judge Godbold was also instrumental in devising a process of
certifying issues of first impression in Federal court based on state
law interpretations, and inviting the state Supreme Court to identify
the state law issues and rule on them. Judge Godbold implemented this
new procedure in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and now
more than 40 states have procedures for the certification of state law
issues. Judge Godbold was also a well-respected leader in training
Federal jurists and authored several publications that addressed
responsible advocacy and the role of the rule of law in our lives.
Judge Godbold died late last year on December 22, 2009. He was a man
of immense character, and conducted his court proceedings based on
fairness and courtesy. He was a courageous judge and dedicated public
servant. It is both fitting and proper that we honor his public service
with this designation.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4275.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4275, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to
designate the annex building under construction for the Elbert P.
Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta, Georgia, as
the `John C. Godbold Federal Building'.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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