[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 12, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING JUDGE ARNOLD ROSENFIELD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                               california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2010

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my 
colleague, Representative Lynn Woolsey, to honor a friend and community 
leader, Judge Arnold, Arnie, Rosenfield. Judge Rosenfield is retiring 
after a distinguished career marked by his commitment to children and 
families and his foresight in establishing successful programs to serve 
them.
  Born in Connecticut, Arnie Rosenfield attended Vanderbilt University, 
where he earned his J.D. in 1971. That same year he married Phyllis Ann 
Rubins, and the couple has two children, Jessica and Asa.
  Judge Rosenfield began his career as a Deputy District Attorney in 
San Luis Obispo County, CA, where he demonstrated early on his passion 
to serve those not always well-represented in the justice system. He 
handled one of the first large successful consumer protections trials 
in California, and in 1977, after taking the same position in Sonoma 
County, he established a Consumer Protection Unit. He later opened a 
private practice and served as the first Commissioner of Sonoma County 
Superior Court before being elected Superior Court Judge in 1984, a 
position he held until his retirement on December 31, 2009.
  The majority of Judge Rosenfield's cases involved the juvenile court, 
and he was always a strong advocate for children at risk for emotional 
trauma. In 1996 he initiated the Court Appointed Special Advocates 
(CASA) for Sonoma County, which advocates for the needs of abused 
children caught up in the justice system. He instigated the development 
of the Redwood Children's Center for easing the process of interviewing 
and examining these children and has been a supporter of Social 
Advocates for Youth, the Valley of the Moon Foundation, Jewish Children 
and Family Services, and the Parent Education Project of Sonoma County. 
He also served on the Advisory Committee on Juvenile & Family Law for 
the California Judicial Council. ``I have been very involved in my 
career in trying to make the court system work better for kids and 
families who find themselves caught up in it,'' he says.
  Judge Rosenfield was also a strong proponent of restorative justice, 
an approach in which offenders work with the victims and the community 
for repair of the harm they have done. He used these techniques, 
especially for kids, before there was an actual movement and became a 
leader in the field as well as an instructor at Sonoma State 
University, Empire Law School, and California Judicial College.
  For his work, Judge Rosenfield has received numerous awards including 
Juvenile Court Judge of the Year by the California Judges Association 
and the 2009 Rex Sater Award from the Sonoma County Bar Association for 
Excellence in Family Law.
  Madam Speaker, Judge Arnold Rosenfield has provided Sonoma County 
with a legacy of innovative programs and, more importantly, an example 
of what passionate leadership can accomplish. ``It's my belief that for 
the most part what we do to kids and families here in the justice 
system continues to be destructive,'' he says, ``and I've spent my time 
trying to make it more constructive. I try to care about the families 
that I see and am very gratified to see lives turn around.'' Thank you, 
Judge Rosenfield, for the many lives you have turned around and for 
showing us what can be done in the name of justice.

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