[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12594]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      JUDGE BRUCE McMARION WRIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Judge Bruce 
McMarion Wright, who passed away this week. His commitment to humanity 
and justice were hallmarks of his tenure in the judiciary. Rather than 
being honored for his courage and uncompromising stance in defense of 
the Eighth Amendment, Judge Wright was unjustly mocked by the system, 
which did not want to recognize the protection of the rights of the 
accused.
  Judge Wright had known the challenges of a just and equal system on 
his life and had worked to eradicate those harms from our society. He 
was raised by his black father and white mother who taught him about 
the importance of looking beyond skin color and into the hearts and 
minds of those before him. He would carry these childhood lessons into 
the administration of justice and look beyond the race of the 
defendants and plaintiffs before him.
  In spite of the discrimination and racism he felt upon entering 
Princeton University, Judge Wright would further be exposed to the 
challenges of individuals through his educational, legal, and personal 
development at Virginia Union, Lincoln University, and New York Law 
School. Judge Wright learned about the impact of class, gender, and 
educational background on the common understanding of the human 
condition. He would understand that economic stature was not an 
indicator of one's worth and value.
  He became aware that one could not truly achieve justice unless there 
was an understanding of the circumstances which led to the interjection 
of the law in response to behavior deemed to be anti-social. Judge 
Wright determined to become an advocate for competent representation of 
the interests of the poor in the criminal justice system. In his 
courtroom, he would see the Eighth Amendment as a protection of the 
poor against the system, not as a mechanism of deterrence for the 
wealthy.
  The military would provide Bruce Wright with additional exposure to 
the universal struggle of humanity for justice and the need for 
compassion and understanding in government. Judge Wright was committed 
to this compassion and understanding and rendered judicial decisions 
that advocated and aided the poor. He was a defender of all classes and 
all races and recognized the importance of humanity in his work. While 
law enforcement and others often missed the significance of his 
reasoning, it is important to understand that he was a believer in 
justice and crusader for fairness.
  I submit for the Record the following CaribNews article on the life 
of Judge Bruce McMarion Wright. I extend my condolences again to his 
family for their irreplaceable loss.

                    Judge Bruce McM Wright Memorial

       June 6, 2005.--A memorial celebration on the life of 
     fearless Supreme Court Justice Bruce McM Wright, who retired 
     in 1995, will be held on Saturday, June 4 at 11 a.m. at the 
     Aaron Davis Hall, 135th Street and Covent Avenue in Harlem, 
     announced his son, Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright.
       Judge Wright died in his sleep at age 86 on March 24 in his 
     home in Old Saybrook, Conn. He was born in Princeton, N.J. on 
     December 18, 1918 to a White mother and a Black father. A 
     civil rights activist who faced lifelong discrimination first 
     in the public schools in Princeton and, although outstanding 
     student, in the rejection by Princeton University, which 
     currently had no non-White students and which told him to 
     apply elsewhere.
       A graduate of ``Historically Black'' Lincoln University and 
     New York Law School, he received an honorary degree from 
     Princeton in 2001. The author of several books, he gained 
     additional icon status when he wrote ``Black Robes, White 
     Justice,'' an expose of the entire criminal ``injustice'' 
     system. Known in the White community as ``Turn-Ern-Loose 
     Bruce,'' he also addressed the abuse of police profiling and 
     brutality, the dehumanizing conditions in jails populated 
     primarily by non-Whites, and the discriminatory use of the 
     death penalty against African-Americans.
       A hero of magnificent proportions, his fame as justice, 
     author, poet, and music lover will be celebrated by TV talk 
     show host Gil Noble, who will serve as emcee of the memorial 
     and the program will include Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Dean of 
     the New York Congressional Delegation; former elected 
     officials, namely Mayor David N. Dinkins, Manhattan Borough 
     President Percy E. Sutton; Secretary of State Basil A. 
     Paterson; and State Comptroller H. Carl McCall; and civil and 
     human rights attorneys Jeff L. Greenup and John Edmonds; and 
     family members.

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