[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14075]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO JUSTICE REVIUS ORTIQUE

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I have come to the floor of the Senate 
tonight to pay tribute to a man who had a significant impact on the 
civil rights movement in my State and our Nation. Justice Revius O. 
Ortique, a native New Orleanian, passed away on Sunday, June 22, 2008.
  At the height of his long and distinguished career in 1992, he was 
the first African American elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court. But 
the road was not easy nor was the path to success clear.
  Justice Ortique served his country for 4 years as an Army officer in 
the Pacific theater during World War II. He returned home as part of a 
great generation his longtime friend Sybil Morial notes for its 
``desire to bring about change.'' He attended college at Dillard 
University, earned a master's degree in criminology from Indiana 
University, and then earned a law degree from Southern University.
  It was a challenging time, to say the least, to be a young, African-
American attorney in our South, but Revius Ortique rose to the 
challenge with determination to change the landscape for African 
Americans in our city--helping to desegregate lunch counters and 
neighborhoods, city halls and corporate boardrooms, throughout 
Louisiana and the South. He served his community as the president of 
the Urban League of Greater New Orleans for five terms and was also 
president of the Community Relations Council, a group of local leaders 
focused on bridging the racial divide and making our city stronger.
  Justice Ortique's efforts to heal the divisions of our community soon 
garnered rightful national attention. He became president of the 
National Bar Association in 1959. From that post, he had President 
Johnson's ear--a direct voice to power, speaking for millions of 
African-Americans. Moved in some measure by Ortique's urging, President 
Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to be the first African-American 
U.S. Supreme Court Justice and appointed eight other distinguished 
African Americans to Federal judgeships.
  The first African American to be appointed to the Civil District 
Court bench in New Orleans, in 1978, Justice Ortique continued to be 
reelected and later served as chief judge. His friends and colleagues 
remember him as holding himself and his courtroom to the pinnacle of 
decorum. He was also an inspiring mentor to many young lawyers and 
judges. ``He really taught you how to be a good lawyer,'' said Judge 
Michael G. Bagneris, who serves on the Civil District Court in New 
Orleans. ``He always instilled in young lawyers that they had to show 
respect for the court.'' It is a respect Justice Ortique earned through 
his demonstrated wisdom on the bench and the gentlemanly standards he 
held.
  Justice Ortique was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1992 
but could only serve 2 years due to a State age restriction. He was not 
ready to retire. He remained as hungry to serve as that young man who 
went off to defend our country a half century earlier. Mayor Marc 
Morial appointed him to the New Orleans Aviation Board where he quickly 
became its chairman, serving for 8 years.
  Over the course of his career, five U.S. Presidents learned of his 
stellar reputation as a jurist and as a leader, appointing him to 
various Commissions, including the investigation into the killings at 
Kent State University.
  At the end of his life, Justice Ortique and his loving wife of 60 
years, Miriam, were living in Baton Rouge. Their New Orleans house had 
been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and like so many Louisianians, 
they were working to soon return home. He is also survived by his 
daughter, Rhesa Marie McDonald, and three grandchildren. From the 
struggles of the civil rights era, to the successes that come with hard 
work and resolve, Justice Ortique's American story is one of great 
promise and determination. His legacy will live on through the 
generations he has inspired to bring about change of their own.
  Mr. President, I thank the Presiding Officer and suggest the absence 
of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Webb). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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