[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 22419-22423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING HOWARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 684) recognizing and honoring Howard University 
School of Law's 140-year legacy of social justice and its continued 
commitment to the training of capable and compassionate legal 
practitioners and scholars, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 684

       Whereas in 1867, shortly after the end of the Civil War, 
     with funds provided by the Freedman's Bureau, Howard Normal 
     and Theological Institute was established;
       Whereas the following year, the Board of Trustees voted to 
     expand the institute's curriculum and change the name to 
     Howard University;
       Whereas in 1869, Howard University School of Law, which 
     shares Howard University's founding principles: Veritas et 
     Utilitas (Truth and Service), was opened in an effort to 
     address the great need to train lawyers who would have a 
     strong commitment to helping African-Americans secure and 
     protect their newly established rights granted by the 13th 
     and 14th amendments to the Constitution;
       Whereas Howard Law School is the first law school dedicated 
     to the education of African-Americans;
       Whereas Howard Law School's original faculty members were 
     former Dean of the Law School, John Mercer Langston, and the 
     Honorable Albert Gallatin Riddle;
       Whereas John Mercer Langston, the namesake of Langston 
     University, was the first African-American Member of the 
     House of Representatives from the State of Virginia, 
     representing Virginia's 4th district, and former President of 
     Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (presently known as 
     Virginia State University);
       Whereas the Honorable Albert Gallatin Riddle, former Member 
     of the 37th Congress, was an abolitionist and novelist;
       Whereas Charlotte E. Ray (class of 1872) was not only the 
     first African-American female graduate of Howard Law School, 
     but was also the first African-American female to practice 
     law in the District of Columbia;
       Whereas James C. Napier (class of 1872), who was invited to 
     attend Howard Law School by Dean John Mercer Langston, served 
     as President William H. Taft's Registrar of the Treasury, and 
     is 1 of 5 African-Americans whose signature has appeared on 
     currency of the United States;
       Whereas Robert H. Terrell (class of 1889) was the first 
     African-American municipal judge for the District of 
     Columbia;
       Whereas former Dean of Howard Law School, William Henry 
     Hastie, became the first African-American Governor of the 
     United States Virgin Islands, the first African-American 
     Federal magistrate judge, and the first African-American to 
     be appointed as a Federal circuit court judge;
       Whereas former Vice Dean, Charles Hamilton Houston, widely 
     known as, ``the man who killed Jim Crow'', was known to 
     remark to his students that, ``a lawyer is either a social 
     engineer or a parasite on society . . .'';
       Whereas Howard Law School served as the training ground and 
     planning site for the

[[Page 22420]]

     lawyers who, through Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 
     Kansas, rejected the notion that separate education equates 
     to equal education;
       Whereas civil rights attorneys Oliver Hill (class of 1933) 
     and co-counsel, Spottswood Robinson III (class of 1939), were 
     attorneys for the plaintiffs in Davis v. County School Board 
     of Prince Edward County, which was 1 of 5 cases consolidated 
     with Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas;
       Whereas Thurgood Marshall (class of 1933) was the lead 
     litigator to argue Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 
     Kansas, before the Supreme Court, and was later named 
     Associate Justice on the Supreme Court;
       Whereas Damon Keith (class of 1949) is currently a senior 
     judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth 
     Circuit;
       Whereas Harris Wofford (class of 1954) is a former Senator 
     from Pennsylvania and was a civil rights advisor to President 
     John F. Kennedy;
       Whereas former Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, L. Douglas 
     Wilder (class of 1959), was the first African-American 
     elected as Governor in the United States;
       Whereas Vernon Jordan (class of 1960), former advisor to 
     President Bill Clinton, noted that at Howard Law School, he 
     found, ``a wife, a career, and a reaffirmation of [his] faith 
     in the mission of black people'', and that his time at 
     Howard, ``saved [his] soul'';
       Whereas Roland Burris (class of 1963) is a Member of the 
     United States Senate;
       Whereas Gabrielle McDonald (class of 1966), Howard 
     University Trustee Emerita, serves as an Arbitrator on the 
     Iran-United States Claims Tribunal, is a former president and 
     judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former 
     Yugoslavia, formerly served as a judge for the United States 
     District Court for the Southern District of Texas and was 
     elected to the ``Texas Woman's Hall of Fame'';
       Whereas former Dean and professor at Howard Law School, J. 
     Clay Smith (class of 1967), who was appointed by President 
     Jimmy Carter in 1978 and President Ronald Reagan in 1981 to 
     serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in the 
     capacities of Commissioner and Acting Chairman, is the author 
     of ``Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer 1844-1944'' 
     and ``Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women 
     Lawyers'', and the editor of ``Supreme Justice: Speeches and 
     Writings'', written by Thurgood Marshall;
       Whereas Wiley Daniel (class of 1971) was the first African-
     American appointed as a judge for the United States District 
     Court for the District of Colorado;
       Whereas Isaiah Leggett (class of 1974) is the County 
     Executive for Montgomery County, Maryland;
       Whereas Jack Johnson (class of 1975) is the County 
     Executive for Prince George's County, Maryland;
       Whereas the recent addition of Vicky Miles-LeGrange (class 
     of 1977) as Chief Judge of the United States District Court 
     for the Western District of Oklahoma evidences the ongoing 
     commitment of the faculty and staff of Howard Law School to 
     equip alumni with the necessary tools to succeed at every 
     level;
       Whereas Gregory Meeks (class of 1978) is a Member of the 
     United States House of Representatives;
       Whereas former District of Columbia Mayors, Walter 
     Washington (class of 1948) and Sharon Pratt Kelly (class of 
     1968), and current Mayor, Adrian Fenty (class of 1996), are 
     alumni of Howard Law School;
       Whereas Howard Law School is one of a select group of law 
     schools that can boast having as alumni a Supreme Court 
     Justice, numerous Federal and State judges, Members of both 
     the House of Representatives and the Senate, a Governor, and 
     several Mayors;
       Whereas the Princeton Review ranks Howard Law School's 
     faculty as the most diverse law school faculty in the Nation;
       Whereas Spencer Boyer, a Professor at Howard Law School, 
     has 38 years of service, which makes him one of the most 
     senior African-American law professors in the United States;
       Whereas the competitive efforts of the Huver I. Brown Trial 
     Advocacy Moot Court Team, the Charles Hamilton Houston 
     National Moot Court Team, and the Goler Teal Butcher 
     International Moot Court Team are evidence of Howard Law 
     School's dedication to the vigorous training of zealous 
     advocates;
       Whereas Howard Law School's curriculum, which includes a 
     study abroad program in Cape Town, South Africa, the Civil 
     Rights Clinic, the Fair Housing Clinic, the World Food Law 
     Institute, and the Institute of Intellectual Property and 
     Social Justice, demonstrates an aggressive commitment to 
     provide relevant hands-on instruction in an ever-evolving 
     legal environment;
       Whereas for 10 years, through the Marshall-Brennan 
     Constitutional Literacy Project, law students in the Howard 
     University School of Law student-fellows program teach 
     constitutional law in public high schools in the District of 
     Columbia;
       Whereas Howard Law School's comparatively low tuition and 
     aggressive career services staff helped the school achieve a 
     ranking of third on the Vault.com's list of the most 
     underrated law schools in the Nation;
       Whereas Howard Law School has contributed robustly to 
     society through the education of attorneys who have gone on 
     to serve the world in countless public and private 
     capacities; and
       Whereas there is no greater illustration of Howard Law 
     School's motto, ``Leadership for America and the Global 
     Community'', than the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of 
     Howard University School of Law: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes Howard University School of Law's profound 
     achievements and unwavering commitment to social justice for 
     all people;
       (2) encourages the continued dedication to the first-rate 
     training of social engineers; and
       (3) congratulates Howard University President, Sidney A. 
     Ribeau, Ph.D., Howard University School of Law Dean, Kurt L. 
     Schmoke, J.D., and the faculty, staff, students, and alumni 
     of Howard Law School on the momentous occasion of its 140th 
     anniversary.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Hawaii.


                             General Leave

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 
684 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. HIRONO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Howard University 
School of Law on the event of their 140th anniversary. The students and 
many exemplary alumni of Howard University School of Law truly embody 
their motto, ``Leadership for America and the Global Community.''
  The Howard University School of Law's deep commitment to social 
justice and compassion began with its founding in 1869. The school was 
established in an effort to help African Americans secure and protect 
their newly established rights. Throughout this Nation's history, 
Howard alumni have challenged racism, worked to attain equal rights and 
access to education, and broken down barriers, rising to prominent 
positions in the field of law and justice. It was Howard University 
School of Law which served as the training ground and planning site of 
the thinkers who boldly defeated the notion that separate education can 
ever be equal through the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of 
Topeka, Kansas.
  Of the many notable African American legal scholars, Supreme Court 
Justice Thurgood Marshall, arguably one of the most influential African 
Americans in American history, was educated at Howard law school. 
Vernon Jordan, former National Urban League President and domestic 
policy adviser for President Clinton, was educated at Howard law 
school. Charles Hamilton Houston, who earned the title ``The Man Who 
Killed Jim Crow'' because of his successful civil rights litigation, 
served as vice dean at Howard.
  There are few schools that can boast having a Supreme Court Justice, 
numerous Federal judges, Members of both the United States House and 
the Senate, a Governor and several mayors amongst its alumni. It is a 
proud history of those great minds, as well as the countless others 
that have come before, that pave the way for the next generation of 
legal scholars. Howard University School of Law graduates scholars with 
a lifelong commitment to change the world for the better.
  Howard has been recognized for its diverse faculty, its relatively 
low cost, opportunity for hands-on experience through a study abroad 
program of South Africa, and many other professional development 
opportunities, as well as their volunteer work here in D.C., teaching 
constitutional law in public schools.
  The dedication to the tenets of truth and service that inspired the 
founding of Howard University and the School of Law still exist today 
as this institution continues to work towards social justice and 
leadership. The Howard University School of Law remains an important 
institution continuing to serve as a beacon of justice and learning.

[[Page 22421]]

  Mr. Speaker, I want to honor and congratulate the current Howard 
University president, Dr. Sidney Ribeau, and the Howard University of 
School of Law dean, Kurt Schmoke, as well as the faculty, staff, 
students and alumni of the Howard University School of Law on this 
momentous occasion of its 140th anniversary. I urge my colleagues to 
support this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 684, a resolution 
recognizing and honoring Howard University School of Law's 140th 
anniversary of legacy and social justice and its continued commitment 
to the training of capable and compassionate legal practitioners and 
scholars.
  Howard University was chartered by Congress as a private university 
in Washington, D.C., in 1867. The law school at Howard opened its doors 
to its first six students in 1869. By the end of the first year, the 
law school had enrolled a total of 22 students. The first students 
graduated from Howard University School of Law on February 3, 1871. The 
American Bar Association accredited the school in 1931. Today, Howard 
University School of Law graduates approximately 185 students with 
either a juris doctorate or a master of law degree. Students attending 
Howard come from all over the United States and the globe.
  Howard University School of Law has had a history of promoting social 
and civil change. In fact, it has an impressive lineup of alumni that 
were key figures in American history, including former Representative 
John Mercer Langston, the first African American Member of the House of 
Representatives; Charlotte E. Ray, the first African American woman to 
practice law in the District of Columbia; and Thurgood Marshall, a 
former Justice of the United States Supreme Court and lead litigator in 
the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.
  I congratulate Howard School of Law on 140 years of academic success 
and wish them luck as they continue to inspire the country's next 
generation.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize, for 4 minutes, 
the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick), the sponsor of this 
resolution.
  Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. I thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii for 
her leadership in coming to this House and taking us by storm. To our 
ranking member who is managing the bill today, thank you for your 
support.
  As has been mentioned, 140 years ago, Howard University established 
its law school. Since that time, hundreds of young men and women have 
graduated from this prestigious law school. Today, under the direction 
of our president, Sidney Ribeau, it is also carrying on the legacy that 
was started in 1869.
  Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court Justice, known for his tenacity, his 
intelligence, his forthrightness, and at Howard University in 1869 and 
beyond, they talked about social engineers they were putting out, men 
and women who could elaborate and repeat the Constitution and represent 
young people, old people, and people all over this country. They 
continue in that tradition today:
  Thurgood Marshall, 1954, the Board of Education, equal schools under 
the law;
  Kurt Schmoke, former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland;
  Our sitting Senator right now, Senator Burris from Chicago, Illinois, 
is a graduate of Howard law school;
  Our own colleague, Gregory Meeks of New York, is a graduate of Howard 
law school.
  The school today probably is just as important as it was, not 
probably, is just as important today as it was 140 years ago. I am 
honored that the House would take up the legislation today that we 
would pass it on suspension. In a couple of weeks, they are having a 
ceremony on campus at Howard University, and I invite all the alumni of 
Howard University to come back, come back on campus and let's 
celebrate.
  Today we live in a world where equal protection under the law is a 
must. We must make sure that every citizen in America has access to 
quality representation, access to a fair process, and that lawyers from 
all over this country and abroad who represent those clients will give 
to the very best of their ability. Howard University law school is 140 
years old. We thank those who began the school 140 years ago.
  We pray that as the tradition of the law school continues to excel 
around the world, that we will continue to lift up the United States of 
America, that we will protect our judicial system, and that the lawyers 
who graduate from all the law schools across this country, including 
Howard University's law school, represent to the very best of their 
ability so that American citizens will know that the third branch of 
government is alive and well because in 1869 Howard University was 
established.

                              {time}  1215

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I don't believe I have any 
additional speakers on this bill, so I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for 
his remarks in support of this measure and also Ms. Kilpatrick for 
bringing this measure forward. I, again, commend Howard University law 
school for its continuing commitment to equality, justice and 
opportunity for all, and urge all of my colleagues to vote for this 
measure.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 684, recognizing and honoring Howard University School of Law's 
140-year legacy of social justice and its continued commitment to the 
training of capable and compassionate legal practitioners and scholars. 
The United States Congress chartered Howard University here in 
Washington, D.C. back in 1867, this bill honors not only their hard 
work, but the prescience of our forefathers.
  Howard University School of Law first opened its doors in 1869 during 
a time of dramatic change in the United States, after the civil war. At 
the time, there was a great need to train lawyers who had a strong 
commitment to helping black Americans secure and protect their newly 
established rights. Today Howard University's Law School carries on 
that tradition, educating its students to fight for those whose voice 
may not otherwise be heard.
  My home of Houston has a special relationship with the Howard 
University School of Law. Specifically, my city of Houston shares its 
name with a pillar of the Howard University School of Law community, 
its late dean, the legendary Charles Hamilton Houston. Educated at 
Amherst College and Harvard Law School, Houston was the first African 
American to serve as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. This feat by 
Houston paved the way for a young Harvard Law student who stood in 
Houston's shoes some 70 years later as the Harvard Law Journal's first 
Editor-in-Chief, President Barack Obama.
  Armed with his ivy league training, Houston returned to Washington 
where he was admitted to the District of Columbia bar in 1929. 
Beginning in the 1930s, Houston served as the first special counsel to 
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 
beginning a two decade career as a civil rights litigator. Houston 
later joined Howard Law School's faculty and ultimately became Dean, 
establishing a long-standing relationship between Howard and Harvard 
law schools. While at Howard, he was a mentor to Thurgood Marshall, who 
argued Brown v. Board of Education and was later appointed to the 
Supreme Court.
  Houston used his post at Howard to recruit talented students into the 
NAACP's legal efforts, among them Marshall and Oliver Hill, the first- 
and second-ranked students in the class of 1933, both of whom were 
drafted into organization's legal battles by Houston. By the mid-1930s, 
two separate anti-lynching bills backed by the NAACP had failed to gain 
passage, and the organization had won a landmark victory against 
restrictive housing covenants that excluded blacks from particular 
neighborhoods only to see the achievement undermined by subsequent 
legal precedents.
  Houston struck upon the idea that unequal education was the Achilles 
heel of Jim Crow. By demonstrating the failure of states to even try to 
live up to the 1896 rule of ``separate but equal,'' Houston hoped to 
finally overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that had given birth to 
that phrase.

[[Page 22422]]

  His target was broad, but the evidence was numerous. Southern states 
collectively spent less than half of what was allotted for white 
students on education for blacks; there were even greater disparities 
in individual school districts. Black schools were equipped with 
castoff supplies from white ones and built with inferior materials. 
Black facilities appeared to be part of a crude segregationist satire--
a design to make black education a contradiction in terms.
  Houston designed a strategy of attacking segregation in law schools--
forcing states to either create costly parallel law schools or 
integrate the existing ones. The strategy had hidden benefits: since 
law students were predominantly male, Houston sought to neutralize the 
age-old argument that allowing blacks to attend white institutions 
would lead to miscegenation, or ``race-mixing''. He also reasoned that 
judges deciding the cases might be more sympathetic to plaintiffs who 
were pursuing careers in law. Finally, by challenging segregation in 
graduate schools, the NAACP lawyers would bypass the inflammatory issue 
of miscegenation among young children.
  The successful ruling handed down in the Brown decision was testament 
to the master strategy formulated by Houston. This strategy is often 
referred to as the Houstonian philosophy of social engineering, based 
upon his legendary saying ``A lawyer's either a social engineer or he's 
a parasite on society.'' . . . A social engineer was a highly skilled, 
perceptive, sensitive lawyer who understood the Constitution of the 
United States and knew how to explore its uses in the solving of 
``problems of . . . local communities'' and in ``bettering conditions 
of the underprivileged citizens.''
  Houston's philosophy has left a lasting mark on Howard University 
School of Law as evidenced by the quantity and quality of its 
graduates, producing more Black lawyers than any other institution. 
Further, as outlined in the text of this resolution, Howard trained 
lawyers have excelled and climbed to some of the highest leadership 
positions in the world.
  The first African-American to serve as a Member of Congress, John 
Mercer Langston, was also a member of the Howard University School of 
Law community. Today's Congress also includes a Member of the Howard 
University School of Law, namely Mr. Meek of New York. U.S. Senator 
Roland Burris of Illinois, the only African-American in the other 
Chamber, is a 1963 graduate of Howard Law.
  Howard University School of Law alumni also serve in a variety of 
staff posts throughout both houses of Congress. In my tenure, I've 
hired numerous Howard law alumni. Currently, both my Chief of Staff and 
Chief Counsel are both outstanding alumni of Howard University School 
of Law.
  In my District, Howard University School of Law alumni have a 
distinguished legacy, particularly in the judiciary. Two Houston 
jurists exemplify the Howard University School of Law legacy. The 
Honorable Gabrielle Kirk McDonald graduated first in her class at 
Howard University Law School in 1966. Upon returning home to Houston, 
Judge McDonald practiced as a private lawyer until her appointment as a 
United States District Judge for the U.S. District Court for the 
Southern District of Texas. At the age of 37, Judge McDonald made 
history by becoming the first African-American to be appointed to the 
federal judiciary of Texas. She was only the third African-American 
woman ever to be selected for the federal judiciary.
  In 1993, Judge McDonald presided over the three-judge panel that 
heard the first criminal trial of that international court, sitting in 
a courtroom of the new Tribunal building in The Hague, Netherlands. By 
this service, Judge McDonald became one of the first United States 
judges to be involved in international courts, apart from the 
International Court of Justice and the International Military Tribunal 
at Nuremberg. Before hearing the first case of the International 
Criminal Tribunal in Yugoslovia, Judge McDonald and her colleagues had 
to develop procedural rules for the Tribunal. She consulted with 
colleagues at Texas Southern University where she was a member of the 
adjunct faculty at that university's Thurgood Marshall School of Law. 
Those consultations resulted in the preparation and adoption of the 
first procedural rules for the Tribunal.
  Judge McDonald, so well regarded by her colleagues, was sent by the 
United Nations to Tanzania, in Africa, in the spring of 1997 to assist 
in the organizing efforts of the International Criminal Tribunal for 
Rwanda, established by the U.N. to hear cases involving genocide in 
that country.
  In November 1997 she was elected President of both criminal 
tribunals, a position she held until her resignation from that position 
in 1999.
  She now serves as one of three American judge/arbitrators on the 
Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague, hearing claims by Iranian and 
U.S. citizens, and the respective governments of the two countries, 
that resulted from the take-over of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 
November 1979 by Iranian militants and the holding of U.S. Embassy 
personnel as hostages.
  The Honorable Hazel B. Jones of the 338th Texas District Court is a 
1996 alumnae of Howard University School of Law. Born and reared in 
Houston, Texas, Judge Jones developed a sense of commitment to the 
Houston community by witnessing the examples of her parents, the late 
Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Larnita Jones, who served as educators and 
administrators in North Forest ISD and Houston ISD, respectively, for 
more than thirty years.
  Judge Jones attended Mary Brantly Smiley High School in North Forest 
Independent School District, where she was voted ``Miss Smiley'' and 
graduated Magna Cum Laude. Thereafter, Judge Jones received a Bachelor 
of Arts degree in biology from the University of Texas at Austin, where 
she was a Texas Achievement Award Scholar and became a lifelong member 
of Delta Sigma Theta Public Service Sorority, Inc.
  After graduation, Judge Jones worked as a research assistant in the 
Hematology/Leukemia division of the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson 
Cancer Center. She prepared drug study experiments with cancer cells; 
she performed DNA extraction for amplification in polymerase chain 
reactions and isolation in gel electrophoresis. While Judge Jones found 
her work in cancer research extremely rewarding, she heeded a personal 
calling to pursue a career in law.
  While attending Howard University Law School, in Washington, DC, 
Judge Jones worked at the Howard Law Criminal Justice Clinic, defending 
citizens charged with misdemeanors and representing prisoners in 
disciplinary hearings. During her summers as a law student, Judge Jones 
honed her legal skills by interning in the 151st Civil District Court, 
Harris County, TX and as intern for the Honorable Judge Vanessa Gilmore 
in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
  Since graduating from law school, Judge Jones Hazel Jones has been an 
active member of Houston's legal community. She served the Harris 
County District Attorney's Office as an Assistant District Attorney 
from 1996-2003 obtaining extensive trial experience handling 
misdemeanor and felony cases in addition to handling juvenile and 
family violence cases. From 2003-2005, Judge Jones worked as a Special 
Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's 
Office, Southern District of Texas; her primary focus was to pursue the 
federal government initiative of ``Project Safe Neighborhoods'' which 
focused on the prosecution of armed felons and felons carrying firearms 
during drug trafficking crimes. In January of this year, Judge Jones 
was sworn in as a member of the local judiciary and we expect that her 
career will be no less stellar as that of her fellow alumna, Judge 
McDonald.
  Mr. Speaker, I salute Howard University School of Law for its service 
to my District, to America, and to the world. For this reason, I 
strongly urge passage of this important Resolution.
  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kilpatrick for 
introducing this resolution honoring Howard University School of Law's 
140-year legacy of social justice and commitment to training social 
engineers.
  If it were not for the legal battles waged by and won by lawyers from 
the Howard University School of Law, it is very unlikely that neither 
the progress or individual accomplishments obtained would have reached 
the heights we enjoy today.
  As the first law school dedicated to educating African Americans, the 
doors of Howard University School of Law opened in 1869. The school was 
created to meet the need to train African Americans in protecting their 
newly established rights granted by the 13th and 14th Amendments of the 
Constitution. During this first year, six students committed to legal 
activism met in the homes and offices of part-time faculty.
  As the years progressed and the number of students and the number of 
faculty grew, the school's commitment to public service was unwavering.
  The mission of this school is guided by the wise words of Charles 
Hamilton Houston, who is widely regarded as the ``man who killed Jim 
Crow.'' He later went on to serve as the NAACP litigation director and 
Dean of Howard University School of Law. Charles Hamilton Houston once 
said, ``A lawyer's either a social engineer or a parasite on society.'' 
These inspiring words have led many students to enroll

[[Page 22423]]

in the law school because of their interest and devotion to public 
service.
  This quote and many other quotes from African American leaders line 
the halls of the school to inspire students, professors, and visitors 
every day.
  Indeed, the men and women who graduated from Howard University School 
of Law became early pioneers and changed the fabric of our Nation.
  The law school served as a training ground for graduates such as 
Oliver Hill, Spottswood Robinson II, and Thurgood Marshall who all 
played important and influential roles in the Supreme Court case, Brown 
v. Board of Education. Thurgood Marshall was the lead litigator in 
Brown, where the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of students 
in public schools ultimately led to unequal educational opportunities. 
This case, which was decided in 1954, led to the abolishment of racial 
segregation.
  The very halls of this Congress are filled with Howard Law School 
alum who are dedicated to social change and public service.
  Mariel Lim, an able and exceptional attorney who is a member of my 
staff, spent her most formative year of law school at Howard and 
applies the formidable skills she acquired there in the service of the 
residents of the 37th Congressional District of California and the 
Nation.
  My Legislative Director, Gregory Berry, taught Torts, Legal Methods, 
Legal Writing 2, Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing to hundreds of 
students who graduated and became social engineers. During the 8 years 
he taught at Howard, Gregory coached Howard's acclaimed National Moot 
Court Team, which afforded students the opportunity to hone their 
writing and advocacy skills in intercollegiate competitions. 
Additionally, Gregory Berry was counsel of record on the amicus curiae 
brief he and two faculty colleagues submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court 
on behalf of Howard's law students in the Grutter v. Bollinger case, 
which upheld affirmative action in law school admissions.
  I am not the only Member who benefits from these dedicated graduates. 
There are numerous other Howard alumni serving the cause of justice 
here on the Hill.
  I congratulate the Howard University on their 140th anniversary of 
its extraordinary law school.
  I know our Nation will be well-served for years to come by its 
graduates who will continue to provide, ``Leadership for America and 
the Global Community.''
  Ms. HIRONO. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 684, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________