[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H8848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              JOSEPH F. WEIS JR. UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5146) to designate the United States courthouse located as 700 
Grant Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the ``Joseph F. Weis Jr. 
United States Courthouse''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5146

       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 700 Grant Street in 
     Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shall be known and designated as 
     the ``Joseph F. Weis Jr. 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 ``Joseph F. Weis Jr. United States 
     Courthouse''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PETRI. 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 the bill before us, H.R. 5146.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5146 designates the United States courthouse 
located at 700 Grant Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the Joseph 
F. Weis Jr. United States Courthouse.
  Joseph F. Weis, Jr., served as a Federal judge on the United States 
Court of Appeals on the Third Circuit from 1973 until assuming senior 
status in 1988, and he served in that capacity until his death earlier 
this year in 2014. Prior to his appointment to the U.S. Court of 
Appeals, Judge Weis was appointed to the United States District Court 
for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Prior to his appointment to 
the Federal bench, he served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of 
Allegheny County and was in the private practice of law.
  Judge Weis also served as a captain in the United States Army during 
the Second World War and is interred in Arlington National Cemetery. 
Given Judge Weis' service and dedication to the law, it is fitting to 
name this courthouse after him.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Doyle).
  Mr. DOYLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time and for his support of the legislation during consideration in the 
committee. I also want to thank every member of the Pennsylvania 
delegation who cosponsored this bill with me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5146, legislation which 
would officially designate the Federal courthouse in Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, my home district, as the Joseph F. Weis Jr. United States 
Courthouse.
  This would be fitting recognition for an individual who served his 
country so well, first as a soldier and then as an outstanding jurist. 
Throughout his 91 years of life, Joseph F. Weis, Jr., served our 
country with humility, integrity, and an unfailing sense of duty. As a 
young man, he enlisted in the Army shortly after Pearl Harbor. 
Reflecting on that decision later in life, he said plainly: ``It was 
the thing to do. The country was at war, and I felt I should be out 
there doing my share.''
  He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and a Purple Heart with 
oakleaf cluster after sustaining multiple injuries over the course of 
his service.
  Upon returning back home, Joe Weis pursued a legal career, joining 
his father's practice after graduating from the University of 
Pittsburgh Law School in 1950. After becoming a respected trial lawyer, 
he was elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in 1968 as 
the first choice on both the Democratic and Republican ballots. As a 
judge, he quickly developed a reputation for patience and hard work. He 
always strove to improve our judicial system, advocating for innovative 
courthouse technologies and enforcement of judicial ethics.
  Two years later, Judge Weis was appointed to the Federal bench, and 
in 1973 he was appointed to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals 
for the Third Circuit, one step below the Supreme Court. He served on 
that court for 40 years, retiring just last year when he was 90 years 
old. He was recognized for his outstanding service on the bench with 
the Devitt Award, the highest honor given to Federal judges.
  Amidst this remarkable list of accomplishments, he was known perhaps 
most of all for the strength of his character. ``He is, if anything, an 
overly modest and unassuming individual,'' said the University of 
Pittsburgh chancellor at his Devitt Award ceremony.
  Joe Weis was equally beloved by his colleagues and his law clerks, 
who to this day still call themselves the ``Weis guys.''
  The life of Joseph F. Weis, Jr., is a model that all public servants 
should aspire to emulate. Naming this Federal courthouse in his honor 
is a fitting way to recognize his long, faithful, and extremely capable 
service to our country, to inspire trust in the Federal justice system 
which he served for so long and with great integrity, and to provide 
future generations with an outstanding example of a great public 
servant. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation 
to name the Federal courthouse in Pittsburgh in his honor.
  Mr. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and thank Congressman Doyle for that fitting tribute to Judge Weis. 
Because of Judge Weis' dedicated service to the legal community and his 
exemplary time as a jurist in Pittsburgh, it is fitting to name the 
courthouse in his honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to 
join me in passing H.R. 5146.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I urge 
all of my colleagues to support the legislation before us.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5146.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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