[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H7318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PAUL BROWN 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. 6633) to designate the United States 
courthouse located at 101 East Pecan Street in Sherman, Texas, as the 
``Paul Brown 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. 6633

       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 101 East Pecan 
     Street in Sherman, Texas, shall be known and designated as 
     the ``Paul Brown 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 ``Paul Brown United States Courthouse''.

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6633, a bill to 
designate the United States courthouse located at 101 East Pecan Street 
in Sherman, Texas, as the ``Paul Brown United States Courthouse''. 
Judge Brown was an outstanding Federal judge who passed away on 
November 26 after 21 years of distinguished service. Judge Paul Brown 
was my good friend, a respected judge, and beloved member of the 
Sherman, Texas community.
  Judge Brown represented the finest qualities of jurisprudence. 
Hanging on his wall in the Sherman Federal Courthouse were Socrates' 
four qualities for a good judge--to hear courteously, to answer wisely, 
to consider soberly, and to decide impartially.
  Judge Brown embodied all of these qualities, and he dispensed justice 
accordingly. He was highly regarded, well-respected, and was a role 
model for many.
  Paul Brown was the youngest of a family of six raised on a farm near 
Pottsboro, TX. He graduated from Denison High School and although 
underage, he was able to get his parents' consent to join the U.S. Navy 
when World War II broke out. He served on a minesweeper in both the 
Atlantic and Pacific Theaters and as a part of the occupation forces in 
Japan. He was discharged as an Electrician's Mate 2nd Class in June 
1946.
  He returned to his studies and received a law degree in 1950 from the 
University of Texas before being recalled to active duty in the Korean 
war. He saw combat aboard a minesweeper which was sunk by mines, and he 
received an honorable discharge in December 1951.
  Judge Brown worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Texarkana under 
U.S. Attorney William Steger--who would become his mentor, good friend, 
and eventually fellow colleague on the bench. He served as Assistant 
U.S. Attorney from 1953 to 1959, and then followed in Judge Steger's 
footsteps as U.S. District Attorney from 1959 to 1961.
  While in Texarkana, Judge and married Frances Morehead, and the two 
returned home to Sherman, where he practiced law for a number of years. 
In 1985 Senator Phil Graham recommended him to President Ronald Reagan 
for a new judge's position created for the Eastern District of Texas, 
and he was confirmed that year. He held court in Beaumont, Paris, 
Sherman, and Texarkana, and as the caseload in Sherman grew, he 
eventually presided over the Sherman courthouse exclusively.
  Premiere cases over the years included intellectual property, patent 
cases, and criminal cases precipitated by the bank and savings and loan 
failures of the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years he noted the increase 
in drug cases and expressed his regret that, in spite of all the 
efforts that have been made to prosecute drug dealers, the Nation is 
not making much progress in curtailing the use of drugs. No matter what 
type of cases came before him, Judge Brown always enjoyed the work and 
ran an efficient and orderly courtroom. His personal work ethic and 
judicial integrity were remarkable, and his reputation for punctuality 
is legendary.
  As we near adjournment of the 112th Congress, I ask my colleagues to 
join me in celebrating the life of a great American, outstanding public 
servant, and respected jurist. This bill has the support of the Federal 
judges in the Eastern District, and I ask for your support of H.R. 
6633, to designate the United States courthouse in Sherman, Texas, the 
``Paul Brown United States Courthouse''.
  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 material on H.R. 6633.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.

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