[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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