[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 172 (Friday, October 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E973-E974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING PAUL ECKSTEIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GREG STANTON

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2025

  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Paul Eckstein, a giant in 
Arizona law and a stalwart public servant, on the remarkable occasion 
of his 60th work anniversary at Perkins Coie LLP.
  Paul worked on many consequential legal disputes in Arizona history 
that shaped the state's legal and civic landscape. He brought a rare 
combination of trial skill, appellate judgment, and moral clarity. Time 
and again, he shows Arizonans that the law can correct course and 
restore trust.
  As lead counsel for the Arizona House of Representatives in the 1988 
impeachment of Governor Evan Mecham, he tried the case with rigor and 
restraint--cross-examining the governor, arguing the evidence, and 
reminding Arizona that no one is above the law. The Senate's verdict 
confirmed the point, and renewed public faith that our Constitution has 
teeth when it must.
  Early in Paul's career, he represented Navajo leader Tom Shirley in 
Shirley v. Superior Court, securing a decision that affirmed Native 
American citizens living on reservations are fully entitled to hold 
public office in Arizona. He defended voter-driven reform by helping 
ensure Clean Elections reached the ballot. He stood up for independent 
redistricting when it mattered most, supporting the reinstatement of 
the Independent Redistricting Commission's chair. And he defended 
Arizona's merit-based judgeship selection, fending off efforts to 
politicize the bench. Across these battles runs a common thread: Paul 
used the law to safeguard the people's voice and the independence of 
our courts.
  What sets Paul apart is not only what he has done, but how he has 
done it. He takes the lawyer's oath seriously--so seriously that he 
chooses principle over convenience, even when it costs him. He demands 
candor. He proves, by example, that zealous advocacy and impeccable 
ethics go hand in hand.
  Paul's extraordinary impact extends well beyond the courtroom. He 
taught constitutional law at Arizona State University, and his students 
now serve across our state. At his alma mater, Pomona College, he and 
his wife, Florence ``Flo'' Eckstein, endowed a scholarship for refugee 
and forcibly displaced students, opening doors for those whose lives 
were upended by conflict or catastrophe.
  Paul served for decades on the board of Phoenix Children's Hospital, 
including as Board Chair. At Arizona State University, the Flo Eckstein 
Endowment supports students focused on children, youth, and families, 
and the Albert & Liese Eckstein Scholar-in-Residence brings leading 
voices in Jewish studies to our community each year. For more than 
three decades, the Ecksteins stewarded the Jewish

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News of Greater Phoenix, preserving a vital forum for community life 
and donating archives that keep history alive. Their philanthropy is 
practical and personal: it meets people where they are and lifts them 
up.
  Paul also lives his values through pro bono work. He stands with 
those without a voice and no means--most recently as part of a team 
recognized by the federal court for advancing a prisoner civil-rights 
case to trial. He has served with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil 
Rights Under Law, lending Arizona's steady voice to the cause of equal 
justice.
  Mr. Speaker, Arizona is a better place because of Paul Eckstein. He 
has defended our Constitution in court and in public life; he has 
protected fair elections and independent courts; he has fought for a 
free press and for equal justice; and he has invested his time, talent, 
and treasure to care for children, and educate the next generation.
  On behalf of the people of Arizona, I congratulate Paul on 60 years 
of distinguished service at Perkins Coie. I thank him for his example 
of courage and integrity, and I ask my colleagues to join me in 
celebrating a lawyer, teacher, and citizen whose life's work has 
strengthened our state.

                          ____________________