[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5911-S5912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ANN CLAIRE WILLIAMS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have served on the Senate Judiciary 
Committee for more than two decades. During that time, I have evaluated 
and voted on more than 1,000 judicial nominees in the committee and on 
the Senate floor. I now serve as the chair of the committee, where one 
of my greatest privileges is helping to confirm President Biden's 
judicial nominees to the Federal bench. We have been steadfastly 
committed to confirming highly qualified, independent, and evenhanded 
judges; judges who rule with reason and restraint; judges who respect 
the rule of law, pursue justice, and answer only to the Constitution. 
And we have been committed to confirming judges who reflect the 
demographic and professional diversity of our Nation. So, it is safe to 
say that I understand what makes a person a capable arbiter of the law. 
The Hon. Ann Claire Williams is one such remarkable jurist.
  For the entirety of her career, Judge Williams has defied odds and 
broken boundaries. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan nominated her to 
the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of

[[Page S5912]]

Illinois. She made history, becoming the first woman of color to serve 
on a district court in the Seventh Circuit. More than a decade later, 
President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Williams to serve on the U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, making her the first judge of 
color to sit on that court, and only the third Black woman in history 
to serve on any Federal circuit court.
  Even before she was appointed to the Federal bench, Judge Williams 
was no stranger to breaking barriers. After graduating from Notre Dame 
Law School, she clerked for Judge Robert A. Sprecher on the Seventh 
Circuit. She was one of the first two female African-American law 
clerks to work on that court. Thereafter, she served as an assistant 
U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Illinois for 9 years, 
becoming the first woman of color to serve as supervisor in that office 
and later becoming the first chief of the Northern District of 
Illinois' Organized Drug Enforcement Task Force in 1983. In short, 
Judge Williams is a trailblazer.
  Over the course of her storied career, Judge Williams has gone above 
and beyond in her commitment to pro bono and civic work. She recently 
finished her third consecutive term as chair of the American Bar 
Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which conducts 
peer review evaluations of all lifetime appointed Federal judges. I 
share her commitment to making sure our Federal bench is comprised of 
jurists who have the requisite integrity, professional competence, and 
judicial temperament to serve, and I commend her for her dedication to 
this work. Additionally, Judge Williams became the first person of 
color to become an officer of the Federal Judges Association when she 
ascended to its treasurer and president positions, helping to 
strengthen the judicial community.
  Judge Williams's call to serve has extended beyond the duties related 
to the bench. She helped found the Public Interest Fellowship Program 
of Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit that seeks to promote a lifelong 
commitment to public service and equal justice. And in Illinois, she 
helped to found Just the Beginning-A Pipeline Organization, which 
encourages students of color and those from underrepresented groups to 
pursue career and leadership opportunities in the law. You see, Judge 
Williams has not just broken boundaries; additionally, she has blazed a 
trail for others to follow, making the legal profession more diverse, 
equitable, and responsive to the needs of our Nation.
  Judge Williams's dedication to the rule of law has inspired her to 
look beyond America's borders. She taught prosecutors at the 
International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. 
And now, Judge Williams leads Jones Day's pro bono efforts to advance 
the rule of law in Africa, using her legal talents to advance equity 
and justice for people across the world and establishing justice 
initiatives in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, 
Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
  So it is no surprise that Judge Williams is being recognized for her 
extraordinary contributions to the legal profession. I want to 
congratulate her on being honored by the ``American Lawyer'' with a 
Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes lawyers who have ``left an 
indelible mark on the legal profession through their substantive area 
of work as well as a strong public service component.'' I also want to 
commend her for being awarded an American Bar Association Presidential 
Citation, based on her ``extraordinary and tireless leadership as chair 
of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary; her dedication 
to building a pipeline aimed at inspiring young students and increasing 
diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and the judiciary; and 
her lifetime commitment and devotion to the rule of law, both at home 
and abroad.'' More than just recognizing the achievements of a 
particularly outstanding lawyer and jurist, by naming Judge Williams a 
recipient, these awards also illustrate the goal toward which our legal 
system should constantly aspire: equal justice under the law.
  Judge Williams, congratulations on a truly remarkable career. And 
thank you for your steadfast commitment to public service. You are a 
model for all those who follow, and you make our judiciary and our 
Nation stronger.

                          ____________________