[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  JOHN MARSHALL COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate is passing 
legislation to honor the contributions of John Marshall, the great 
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, through the minting and issuance of 
a commemorative coin by the U.S. Treasury.
  As an original cosponsor of S. 1531, the Chief Justice John Marshall 
Commemorative Coin Act, I have worked closely with Senator Hatch to do 
all that we possibly can to speedily pass this act into law. The act 
authorizes the Treasury Department to mint and issue coins in honor of 
Chief Justice John Marshall in the year 2005. Funds raised by sale of 
the coin will support the Supreme Court Historical Society. Sales of 
the coin also cover all of the costs of minting and issuing these 
coins, so that the American taxpayer is not bearing any cost whatsoever 
of this commemoration.
  It is fitting that sales of a coin that bears the likeness of Chief 
Justice Marshall will be used to support the Supreme Court Historical 
Society. The society is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to 
preserve and disseminate the history of the Supreme Court of the United 
States. Founded by Chief Justice Warren Burger, the society's mission 
is to provide information and historical research on our Nation's 
highest court. The society accomplishes this mission by conducting 
programs, publishing books, supporting historical research, and 
collecting antiques and artifacts related to the Court's history. We 
are happy to assist a worthwhile organization like the Supreme Court 
Historical Society.
  In our successful efforts to obtain support for the bill, we gained 
75 cosponsors in the Senate over the past year. Given the noble cause, 
it was not a hard sell. Yet, the number of bipartisan supporters is a 
proper tribute to the great Chief Justice John Marshall. John Marshall 
is known as ``the great Chief Justice'' of the Supreme Court. Marshall 
served on the bench for 34 years and established many of the 
constitutional doctrines we revere today. He is best known and 
respected for the fundamental principle of checks and balances of our 
democratic government.
  I thank all the Senators and Representatives who supported this 
legislation--too numerous to name. I also thank the Supreme Court 
Historical Society for its dedication to this important tribute to 
Chief Justice John Marshall.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair, on behalf of the 
majority leader, pursuant to Public Law 96-114, as amended, appoints 
the following individuals to the Congressional Award Board: Kathy 
Didawick of Virginia and Michael Carozza of Maryland.

                          ____________________