[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7317-H7318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JAMES M. CARTER AND JUDITH N. KEEP UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further
consideration of the bill (H.R. 6166) to designate the United States
courthouse located at 333 West Broadway Street in San Diego,
California, as the ``James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States
Courthouse,'' and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6166
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The United States courthouse located at 333 West Broadway
Street in San Diego, California, shall be known and
designated as the ``James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United
States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the United States
courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a
reference to the ``James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United
States Courthouse''.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my bill,
H.R. 6166, for consideration to designate the new courthouse at 333
West Broadway Street in San Diego as the James M. Carter and Judith N.
Keep United States Courthouse.
First, I would like to thank Chairman Mica, Ranking Member Rahall,
Subcommittee Chairman Denham and Subcommittee Ranking Member Norton,
the Democratic and Republican staff of the Committee, and my colleagues
from California who came together to move this legislation honoring two
highly deserving judges and human beings.
By way of background, when this iconic new courthouse construction
project in downtown San Diego was nearing completion and the time had
come to consider a name for the new building, my office sought input
from the San Diego legal community to determine a consensus choice.
After considering hundreds of submissions, it became clear that,
among many worthy options, San Diegans preferred to honor two former,
prominent San Diegan judges--Judge James Carter or Judge Judy Keep.
After reviewing their achievements, I decided that the right thing to
do would be to honor both of these individuals--as they were both true
trailblazers in the San Diego community.
And reflecting San Diego's widespread support for honoring Judge
Carter and Judge Keep my legislation was endorsed by the San Diego City
Council, the San Diego County Bar Association, and San Diego's Mayor at
the time, Jerry Sanders.
Judge Carter was the moving force behind the creation of the Southern
California District.
In response to the tremendous population growth in San Diego after
World War II, Judge Carter successfully convinced the Judicial
Conference of the United States to create the Southern District--
allowing the people of San Diego and its neighboring communities access
to the federal court system.
In 1966, after its creation, Judge Carter became the first Chief
Judge of the District Court, serving in that position until his
appointment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Keep was instrumental in opening up the San Diego legal field
to women.
Judge Keep graduated from San Diego Law School as its valedictorian--
at a time when fewer than 5% of lawyers were women!
She then worked as a Staff Attorney at Defenders, Inc. where she was
the first female staff attorney representing indigent criminal
defendants in federal court.
In 1980, Judge Keep was nominated to become the first female judge
for the District Court of the Southern District of California, and
later she became the District Court's first female Chief Judge.
Displaying true dedication to public service, both Judge Carter and
Judge Keep worked tirelessly off the bench to better the San Diego
community.
Judge Carter founded the Federal Defenders of San Diego and was
instrumental in the creation of the University of San Diego Law School.
Former law clerks of Judge Carter remember him as a giant of his
time, a man who was revered by the San Diego legal community, and whose
service was an example for all those who followed in his footsteps.
Judge Carter even touched the life of one of our colleagues, Senator
Mike Crapo. Like many law clerks who passed through the judge's
chambers, he was in awe of Judge Carter's service and work. And in
Senator Crapo's words, there is ``no more appropriate way to honor his
legacy than to name this federal courthouse for Judge Carter.''
Judge Keep was a Chair of both the Task Force on Judicial Wellness
and the Conference of Chief District Judges for the 9th Circuit, and
she worked with the San Diego Community Foundation and the Armed Forces
YMCA.
And, both judges served as role models and mentors to countless young
attorneys and judges in San Diego.
A Superior Court judge, who appeared before Judge Keep as a young
prosecutor wrote to me:
Judy's presence and words of wisdom shaped my own career
and trajectory. Even after her death, her light continues to
shine. I keep her picture in my court chambers to remind me
everyday of what is important in life and about how to arrive
at the best decisions possible.
Judge Carter and Judge Keep served the public with distinction and
truly reflected the San Diego legal community's shared values of
excellence and integrity.
The new San Diego Courthouse will be a fitting testament to their
careers and inspire others in the community to continue to follow their
path.
Thank you again for your consideration of this legislation honoring
these two trailblazing San Diego public servants.
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC, September 16, 2010.
Representative Susan Davis,
Longworth HOB,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Davis: I recently became aware of your
efforts to solicit input on the naming of the new federal
courthouse in San Diego, to be opened in 2013. I expect you
have been receiving many worthy suggestions from your
constituents, and I would like to join those who have
suggested to you that the courthouse be named for former
federal judge James M. Carter.
Following graduation from Harvard Law School in 1977, I
served for a year as law clerk to Judge Carter on the Ninth
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. I learned a great deal through
this experience and came to admire Judge Carter as an
outstanding federal judge.
Judge Carter was responsible for the legislation that first
created the Southern District of California, and he would go
on to become the District's founding Chief Judge. Upon his
passing in 1979, the local newspaper editorials hailed him as
``The Dean of the San Diego Judiciary''.
Given the time that has passed since his service, I
recognize many of his contemporaries are no longer with us,
and the memory of his accomplishments may have faded. As one
who did have the honor of working with this fine man, I can
think of no more appropriate way to honor his legacy than to
name this federal courthouse for Judge Carter.
Thanks for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Mike Crapo,
U.S. Senator.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the
table.
General Leave
Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on H.R. 6166.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
[[Page H7318]]
There was no objection.
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