[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S1891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JUDGE TOD KAUFMAN

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor longtime Kanawha 
County Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman upon his retirement after more than 32 
remarkable years of service to the 13th Judicial Circuit.
  I have often said there is no greater accomplishment than to find 
yourself in a position to give back to the community you love. As a 
Charleston native, Judge Kaufman has served the people of Kanawha 
County with professionalism, fairmindedness, and great respect from the 
day he took office in 1988.
  Following his undergraduate education, he worked as a paralegal in 
the Washington, DC, law firm of Covington & Burling and received a law 
degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 1980. He served 
a clerkship on the U.S. Tax Court during law school before joining his 
late father's Charleston law firm of Kaufman & Ratliff in 1980. Prior 
to his appointment as judge, he served as my colleague in the State 
legislature and was appointed to the State senate in 1982 by then-
Governor Jay Rockefeller and was elected in 1984. Judge Kaufman's 
lectured internationally at prestigious law schools and conferences and 
is a former member of the Mass Litigation Panel of the West Virginia 
Supreme Court and past president and executive officer of the West 
Virginia Judicial Association.
  Shortly after graduating law school, Judge Kaufman tragically lost 
his parents, former Senator and World War II veteran Paul Kaufman and 
Rose, and brother, Steven, in a car accident. I know their unfailing 
love and influence had a tremendous impact on the person he was to 
become. Both of his parents were extremely active in their community 
and passionate about many social issues. I will always be personally 
grateful to them that they passed their work ethic and compassion on to 
Judge Kaufman, because he has done so much good in our home State due 
to their influence. In 2011, the 35th Street Bridge over the Kanawha 
River between the East End and Kanawha City was renamed in their honor, 
and I am certain they would be so very proud of Judge Kaufman's legacy 
and personal values.
  Throughout the years, Judge Kaufman has witnessed the drastic changes 
in the judicial landscape. Technology in the courts has played a 
crucial role, especially with current events as they are, but Judge 
Kaufman has always promoted the value of interpersonal communication 
and protecting the humanism in our court processes. He has been 
fiercely protective of the interests of the people in front of him in 
the courtroom, acknowledging the heavy responsibility of representing 
the justice system. He and I served in the State senate together, and 
in the many years I have called him a friend, Judge Kaufman has never 
taken his position lightly and has always seen himself primarily as a 
servant of the people of Kanawha County and of West Virginia. His view 
of the law is something I will always admire, and I know it has also 
inspired countless young judges and lawyers.
  I will always be grateful to Judge Kaufman for his years of 
friendship and our shared passion for serving the people of West 
Virginia. While he is retiring and everyone is sure to miss his strong 
leadership, Judge Kaufman's unwavering dedication will leave a lasting 
legacy with the countless lives he has touched. Again, I congratulate 
him for his remarkable years of service, and I am honored to wish good 
health and much happiness to Judge Kaufman, his wife Barrie, and their 
daughters, Paula, Caroline, and Sophia, in the days and years ahead.

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