[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 119 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6221-H6222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
J. MARVIN JONES FEDERAL BUILDING AND MARY LOU ROBINSON UNITED STATES
COURTHOUSE
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5772) to designate the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and
Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, as the ``J. Marvin Jones Federal
Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5772
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse located
at 205 SE 5th Ave., Amarillo, Texas, shall be known and
designated as the ``J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary
Lou Robinson United States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the Federal building
and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall
be deemed to be a reference to the ``J. Marvin Jones Federal
Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. BARLETTA. 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. 5772.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5772 would designate the J. Marvin Jones Federal
Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, as the J. Marvin Jones
Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse.
Judge Robinson was a legal pioneer, paving the way for women in what
was once a male-dominated profession.
In 1973, Judge Robinson was appointed justice of the Seventh Court of
Appeals in Amarillo, Texas, making her the first female appellate judge
in Texas. Four years later, she was appointed to chief justice of the
same court. Five years later, President Carter appointed Robinson to a
Federal judgeship as the second woman to serve as a United States
district judge in Texas.
For over 60 years, Judge Robinson was a pioneer, a scholar, and,
above all, a judge of fairness and integrity. I support naming this
Federal building and courthouse after her.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I join the chairman in supporting H.R. 5772, which
designates the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in
Amarillo, Texas, as the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou
Robinson United States Courthouse.
The new designation is a well-deserved honor for Judge Mary Lou
Robinson. You have heard some description of her outstanding career.
Let me add a few more points.
She has served as a judge in Amarillo, Texas, for more than 63 years,
with 35 years on the Federal judiciary. When she took senior status as
a Federal judge in 2016, she became the longest serving Federal judge
in both the Northern District of Texas and the entire Fifth Circuit.
Judge Robinson received numerous awards throughout her career for
both her legal and her public service to the community. She was named
one of the 100 Legal Legends by Texas Lawyer, the 2016 Jurist of the
Year by the Texas Chapters of American Board of Trial Advocates, and
the 1973 Texas Woman of the Year by the Texas Federation of Business
and Professional Women, among other awards.
Her colleagues reported that she had a reputation for running an
orderly and efficient courtroom, and she treated celebrity trials the
same way she treated mundane 2-day civil cases.
Judge Robinson certainly served with distinction during her time on
the Federal bench. She was deeply respected by the Amarillo legal
community, and I am pleased to support this legislation which aptly
names the facility in her honor.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from
Pennsylvania yielding and the support of the gentleman from
Pennsylvania and the gentlewoman from Nevada for this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I introduced this legislation with a near unanimous
request of the legal community and the broader leadership in the Texas
Panhandle.
Since 1980, the Federal building and courthouse in Amarillo, Texas,
has been known as the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building. Judge Jones led
a remarkable life. He served in this House from 1917 to 1940, including
as chair of the Committee on Agriculture. He was then appointed to the
court of claims, took a leave of absence to serve in the Roosevelt
administration during World War II, and went back to the court of
claims, where he was the chief judge there from 1947 until his
retirement in 1964.
As I said, it was a remarkable life, but there is another remarkable
life that has made a lasting impact on the cause of justice in the
Northern District of Texas, and it has also been an inspirational life.
Judge Mary Lou Robinson has served as a judge, as Members have heard,
for more than 60 years, more than 35 years of which has been as a
Federal district judge in the Northern District of Texas.
She is a pioneer:
She attended and graduated law school at the University of Texas at a
time when very few women applied or were admitted to the law school at
all.
When she went into private practice in Amarillo, she was one of two
female attorneys practicing there.
In 1955, Judge Robinson became the first woman in Amarillo history to
serve as a judge higher than the justice of the peace level and was the
first Potter County court at law judge. Up until that time in Texas,
women could not serve on juries.
She was elected State district court judge in 1960.
As you have heard, in 1973, she became an associate justice of the
Seventh State Court of Appeals, making
[[Page H6222]]
her the first female appellate judge in the entire State of Texas. She
later became the chief justice of that court.
In 1979, Judge Robinson was nominated and confirmed to the Federal
bench, again being only the second woman to serve as a U.S. district
judge in Texas.
Then, day in and day out, for nearly 40 years, Judge Robinson
presided over Federal and criminal cases with fairness and with high
expectations fitting the American legal system. She took senior judge
status in 2016.
As Members have heard, she has been honored repeatedly, such as the
Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Professional Excellence from the Texas
Center for Legal Ethics and the Texas Lawyer magazine's one of 100
Legal Legends in the State.
But I will say, Mr. Speaker, that Judge Mary Lou Robinson's influence
extends even further than the trailblazing and remarkable longevity
that her legal career would indicate.
Throughout it all, Judge Robinson has upheld the highest standards of
legal ethics and professionalism, being a role model not only for those
in the legal system, but for men and women throughout the region.
She is fair, but she is tough. And here I can speak from a bit of
personal experience that no lawyer wanted to go unprepared into her
courtroom. With her razor-sharp intellect and knowledge of the law, she
was always well prepared and probably knew more about the law of the
case than the lawyers arguing it. No one ever doubted that all sides of
the case would get a fair hearing.
At the same time, those who know her off the bench know her to have a
great sense of humor, compassion, and a warm human touch.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5772 would add Judge Mary Lou Robinson's name to
the Federal building and courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, so that it
would be known as the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou
Robinson United States Courthouse.
Marvin Jones served in all three branches of our Federal Government.
Judge Robinson has served in the judicial branch of the State and
Federal Government for more than 60 years. This designation honors each
of them in a way that is fitting to each of them.
Adding Judge Robinson's name to that of Marvin Jones will not only
honor the careers of two remarkable individuals, it will help inspire
all of us to reach toward their high standards of integrity,
professionalism, and service to our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for
yielding.
Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I say again that we are most impressed by the
two people whose names are on this Federal building, and I urge my
colleagues to support the designation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5772.
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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