[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17830-17831]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING JUDGE JIMMY MATTHEWS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LINCOLN DAVIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 8, 2004

  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, as Congress debates issues of 
vital importance to our Nation's education and defense, I would like to 
take a few minutes to say thank you to a well respected individual in 
the 4th District of Tennessee.
  After spending over thirty plus years on the bench, as a General 
Sessions Part I Judge, Judge Jimmy Matthews decided to retire due to 
deteriorating health. Judge Matthews, a life-long resident of Maury 
County, Tennessee, will be sorely missed for his wisdom, courage, and 
determination to effectively serve the law and all it protects.
  Matthews was Maury County's first lay judge and will be its last (a 
lay judge does not hold a law degree). State law now requires all new 
judges to hold law degrees. To hold the position of judge without a law 
degree, while not unheard of is admirable and further demonstrates 
Matthews understanding and knowledge of the law.
  It has been estimated that Judge Matthews along with his counterpart 
have overseen as many as 20,000 cases a year. His court has the 
responsibility of clearing these cases in a timely and efficient 
manner. Not an easy task, but Judge Matthew seemed to do it time and 
again.
  Maury County and the American judicial system will never fail to 
notice the work of

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Judge Matthews. May God Bless Judge Matthews on his new journey.

                          ____________________