[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 579]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING JUDGE ALLI B. MAJEED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Posey) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, on a brighter, more positive, and nonpartisan 
side this morning, it is an honor and a pleasure to recognize the 
lifetime achievements of my longtime friend and a true patriotic 
citizen, Judge Alli B. Majeed, who has just retired after 24 years of 
service on the bench.
  He was the longest serving county judge in the 18th Judicial Circuit. 
That includes Florida's Brevard and Seminole Counties. Judge Majeed, or 
A.B. as many of us know him, was born in the former British colony of 
Guyana, South America, to parents who were descendants of indentured 
servants from India.
  Having grown up in a small village, his family didn't have much, and 
they worked hard for what little they did have. A.B. cherished the 
opportunity to attend and graduate from high school.
  In 1969, he came to the United States on a student visa. He was Phi 
Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude from Howard University here in 
Washington, D.C. In 1975, A.B. graduated from the Catholic University 
of America's Columbus Law School.
  Alli became a U.S. citizen on November 16, 1979, and began his legal 
career working as an attorney and supervisor at Community Legal 
Services in Philadelphia, where he served the needy and indigent 
clients. He went on to work as a criminal attorney, assistant public 
defender, and assistant State attorney.
  I knew A.B. before he was appointed as a county judge in 1993 by 
then-Governor Lawton Chiles to fill a vacancy and was subsequently 
reelected to new terms unopposed all but one time. Once on the bench, 
Judge Majeed became known as a competent and respected judge.
  He also became well known for his motivational and educational talks 
about the importance of jury duty to groups of new jurors, many of whom 
show up disenchanted about being selected to serve. As someone who has 
been a juror and has heard his talk firsthand more than once, I can 
promise you that it is extraordinary. No one in my pool of jurors 
looked forward to being called for jury duty, but after Judge Majeed's 
patriotic, uplifting, and inspiring lesson, everyone became 
enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve.
  ``We take an oath to obey, preserve, and protect the Constitution of 
the United States of America,'' said Judge Majeed.
  To the Majeed family, this oath is serious business. He has three 
nephews who have served in our Nation's Armed Forces: Steve Majeed, 
U.S. Navy; Rick Majeed, United States Air Force; and Omar Majeed, 
United States Marines.
  ``I love this country,'' he said. ``We believe deeply in it.''
  In his letter of resignation to the chief justice of the State of 
Florida, Judge Majeed penned these words: ``I am beholden to the United 
States of America who opened her doors to me as a twenty two year old, 
on a student visa. She allowed me to dream the impossible dream, then 
showed me the way to make those dreams come true.
  ``Serving the public, interacting with the Bar, and my many judicial 
colleagues have left me with a sense of accomplishment beyond my 
loftiest dreams.
  ``As I tender my resignation my heart is filled with great joy of 
twenty four years of judicial distance well run. With credit to 
President Lincoln, I go forth from this place with malice towards none 
and charity towards all.''
  Judge Majeed was elected president of all of the county judges in the 
State of Florida. He has dedicated much of his noncourtroom hours to 
civic activities motivating and educating the public on the virtues of 
the United States Constitution and our democratic Republic.
  Alli Majeed is the father of three daughters and one son. His wife, 
Yasmin Majeed, is very active in community and charitable causes 
throughout our community. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting 
Judge Alli Majeed's achievements, his service to our community, and his 
commitment to our country.

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