[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 19989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING CHIEF JUDGE WILLIAM WALTER WILKINS, JR.

  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the years of 
dedicated service that William Walter Wilkins, Chief Judge of the U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, has given to the Federal 
judiciary. Hailing from my hometown of Greenville, SC, his 
contributions to South Carolina and our Nation are immeasurable.
  Chief Judge Wilkins began his public service in 1967 as an officer in 
the U.S. Army, eventually earning the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army 
Reserves. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, Chief Judge 
Wilkins worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Clement F. Haynsworth, 
Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit until 1970, then going on to 
become a legal assistant for the late Senator Strom Thurmond. And 
Senator Thurmond got it exactly right when he called Chief Judge 
Wilkins ``a man of character and unquestionable integrity.''
  While in private practice, Chief Judge Wilkins was elected as the 
first Republican Solicitor for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit since 
Reconstruction, a post that showcased his extensive knowledge and 
mastery of the legal profession.
  In 1981, newly elected President Ronald Reagan used his first 
Presidential appointment to nominate Chief Judge Wilkins to the 
position of the U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina. 
Chief Judge Wilkins was confirmed by this body on July 20, 1981 and 
received his commission on July 22, 1981.
  In 1985, President Reagan appointed Chief Judge Wilkins to be the 
first Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission, where he was 
given the task of creating guidelines for the sentencing of Federal 
defendants. He served in this capacity until 1994. During that time, he 
was also appointed to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit 
Court of Appeals, where he has served as Chief Judge since 2003.
  Chief Judge Wilkins is a nationally recognized jurist and is known 
for this scholarship, sharp wit, and unyielding allegiance to the rule 
of law. Not only is the State of South Carolina honored to be the home 
of a man of his integrity, but the United States is privileged to have 
such a distinguished jurist defending our American legal system.
  I commend Chief Judge Wilkins for his 25 years of public service to 
the United States.

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