[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 126 (Thursday, July 16, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING JUDGE OLA M. LEWIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID ROUZER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 2020

  Mr. ROUZER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory and life of a 
trailblazing judge from Brunswick County, North Carolina, who was 
passionate and fearless in her commitment to justice and the law while 
also showing great compassion for those who needed help to get their 
lives back on track. Sadly, Judge Ola M. Lewis passed away late last 
year. This past Saturday, July 11th, would have been her 55th birthday.
  The daughter of a paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne Division and two 
public school principals, Judge Lewis learned early in life the value 
of education, hard work, and service to one's community. She grew up in 
Spring Lake, North Carolina, and soon moved with her family to 
Brunswick County. Like her father, she graduated from Fayetteville 
State University and then in 1990 earned a law degree from North 
Carolina Central Law School. After a stint in private practice she 
returned home to Brunswick County to serve in the District Attorney's 
Office.
  Just two years later, in 1993, Judge Lewis was appointed district 
court judge becoming the youngest serving district court judge in North 
Carolina. She spent seven years as a district court judge before being 
appointed to serve as a ``special Superior Court judge'', traveling 
around 21 North Carolina counties. Her motto: ``have gavel, will 
travel''.
  She made history as both the first woman and the first African-
American judge in North Carolina's Fourteenth Judicial District. She is 
the longest serving female judge in the history of North Carolina.
  Judge Lewis has left a real impact in our community that will 
continue to be felt. She fostered the creation of specialized drug 
treatment and mental health courts, which have helped countless those 
that need it the help necessary to put themselves back on the right 
track. Her drug court program became a national template that has been 
replicated to help others struggling with addiction and mental health 
challenges nationwide.
  She was one of the first to see and respond to the scourge of the 
opioid addiction that has ravaged the nation, co-founding in 2017 the 
Brunswick County Opioid Addiction Task Force. She encouraged Governor 
Roy Cooper to declare the growing opioid addiction crisis a statewide 
public health emergency.
  In recognition of her contributions and dedication to our local 
communities and to our state, she was awarded the Order of the Long 
Leaf Pine by Governor Cooper, the Old North State Award by Governor 
Beverly Purdue, and the Dogwood Award by Attorney General Josh Stein.
  Madam Speaker, Judge Ola Lewis leaves a legacy for which her 
wonderful family, colleagues and friends can be proud. Hers was a great 
life of service to the benefit of every citizen, our communities, and 
our state.

                          ____________________