[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 154 (Friday, September 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H4460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       HONORING THE LIFE OF THE HONORABLE GLADYS TONEY BRANSFORD

  (Ms. GARCIA of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of 
the Honorable Gladys Toney Branford.
  Gladys was born in the Jim Crow South in Madison County, Alabama. To 
grow up in that era and go on to serve as a judge is truly remarkable.
  In 1986, then-Mayor Kathy Whitmire appointed her to the bench in 
Houston, and I had the profound honor of swearing her in.
  She was a great judge, Mr. Speaker, tough and fair, and always giving 
everyone a full hearing in their day in court.
  She built shores of sisterhood as a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta 
and through her decades in The Links, Incorporated.
  Above it all, Judge Branford often said that her greatest joy was her 
family: three accomplished children and six beautiful grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, Judge Branford was a friend and a dear colleague, and it 
is especially an honor for me to be able to lift her life here today 
and on the floor of the United States Congress.

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