[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 IN MEMORY OF JUDGE LAWRENCE K. KARLTON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 8, 2015

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of retired U.S. 
District Court Judge Lawrence K. Karlton, who passed away last month. I 
ask my colleagues to take a moment and join me in tribute to Judge 
Karlton's truly distinguished life and service to the American people.
  Judge Karlton was a steadfast believer that justice and equal 
protection under the law applied to all Americans, regardless of one's 
place in our nation and society. After graduating from New York 
University and Columbia School of law, Judge Karlton served in the 
United States Army and was the lead Civilian Legal Officer at the 
Sacramento Army Depot. He would later serve in private practice and 
volunteer as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union on a 
number of civil rights cases. Governor Jerry Brown, well aware of Judge 
Karlton's talents, appointed him to the Superior Court of California in 
1976. Three years later, President Jimmy Carter appointed him to the 
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California in 
1979. He would serve honorably for a number of years and took senior 
status in 2000. After thirty-five years on the federal bench, Judge 
Karlton formally retired last September.
  With his passing, Judge Karlton has left behind a clear legacy as a 
fair jurist, one who was always impartial to those who stood in front 
of him, and one who clearly valued the rights enshrined in the United 
States Constitution. He has left an unforgettable mark on the people of 
our nation who needed the federal courts to be strong in order to 
protect their rights. While on the federal bench, Judge Karlton served 
on a number three judge panels that were charged with overseeing the 
State of California's overcrowded prison system. He oversaw a complex 
class action case filed on behalf of those who had immigrated to the 
United States in the 1980s, and waded into the complexities of federal 
protections for endangered species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta 
in the 2000s.
  Finally and perhaps most importantly, Judge Karlton leaves a legacy 
as a mentor to many talented lawyers, a number of whom have gone on to 
be appointed to federal and state judgeships. While the 
responsibilities of serving on federal bench were immense, he also was 
a wonderful husband to his wife, Sue, and father to his daughter, Emily 
Williams.
  Mr. Speaker, as Judge Lawrence Karlton's family, friends and 
colleagues gather to honor his life and accomplishments, I ask that my 
colleagues join me in thanking him and recognizing him for his many 
years of service to our nation and the legacy that he leaves behind.

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