[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        A DELAWARE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL JUDICIAL LEADER

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, it gives me great pride and pleasure 
today to rise and honor a Delaware jurist who is a recognized leader 
not only in his native State of Delaware, but throughout this country 
and around the world. His name is Randy Holland.
  Justice Holland has served on the Delaware Supreme Court since 1986, 
with the distinction of being the youngest person ever to serve on my 
State's highest court. And for the past four years, he has served as 
the National President of the American Inns of Court. His second term 
ends next week, and I rise today to commend his leadership to this 
prestigious legal society.
  Justice Holland's stewardship of the American Inns of Court, with its 
roots dating back to England in the 1400s, has earned him an 
extraordinary, rare and high honor.
  He is only the third American judge to recently receive this 
prestigious award. The other two are United States Supreme Court 
Justices.
  Lincoln's Inn of London, England, announced that Justice Holland has 
been elected an Honorary Master of the Bench. The Honorary ``Benchers'' 
are persons of distinction selected from common law countries around 
the world. The only American judges to receive this high recognition 
and distinction are Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and John Paul Stevens 
of the United States Supreme Court and now Justice Holland.
  In commenting upon Justice Holland's election, William Blair, a 
distinguished Barrister, President of the Commercial Bar Association in 
England, and brother of Prime Minister Tony Blair, stated ``We feel 
that this is an important mark of friendship between the Inns of Court 
of England and the American Inns of Court. What is most gratifying for 
us is that the common aims of the organization are ethics, civility, 
professionalism and legal excellence--which are surely more necessary 
now than ever. My fellow Benchers were greatly impressed by Justice 
Holland's distinguished judicial record.''
  To put this honor in context, Lincoln's Inn is the oldest of the four 
Inns of Court in London. Its formal records date back continuously to 
1422. For six centuries, the Inns of Court in London have educated 
English trial lawyers, who are known as Barristers.
  St. Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England, joined Lincoln's Inn in 
1496. The chapel bell at Lincoln's Inn came from Spain in 1596 as part 
of the spoils of Cadiz. When Dr. John Donne was Preacher to Lincoln's 
Inn in 1624, he wrote his famous poem ``for whom the bell tolls.''
  Along with this international honor, Justice Holland has been 
recognized by his fellow jurists and attorneys in this country. His 
numerous awards include: the 1992 Judge of the Year Award from the 
National Child Support Enforcement Association, the 2002 Alumni Award 
of Merit from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, the 2003 
American Judicature Society's Herbert Harley Award, and the 2004 
Widener Law School Adjunct Professor Distinguished Service Award.
  Ethics and mentoring are the hallmarks of Justice Holland's service 
on the bench and his call to his fellow attorneys in the bar. He 
chaired the national Advisory Committee to the American Judicature 
Society's Center for Judicial Ethics and currently he chairs the 
American Bar Association national Joint Committee on Lawyer Regulation. 
Justice Holland is also a member of the American Law Institute and is 
an adjunct professor at several law schools.
  In addition to these many accomplishments, Justice Holland has 
published three books on the history of the Delaware Constitution and 
the Delaware Supreme Court.
  Of course, Justice Holland will tell you that he derives his greatest 
pride from his family--his wife and friend since grade school, Ilona, 
and his son, Ethan.
  Justice Holland deserves a tremendous thank you for his leadership on 
the bench and bar--from Delaware, attorneys throughout this country, 
and indeed from jurists and barristers worldwide. 
Congratulations.

                          ____________________