Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my bill, H.R. 6166, for consideration to designate the new courthouse at 333 West Broadway Street in San Diego as the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United…
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer my bill, H.R. 6166, for consideration to designate the new courthouse at 333 West Broadway Street in San Diego as the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse.
First, I would like to thank Chairman Mica, Ranking Member Rahall, Subcommittee Chairman Denham and Subcommittee Ranking Member Norton, the Democratic and Republican staff of the Committee, and my colleagues from California who came together to move this legislation honoring two highly deserving judges and human beings.
By way of background, when this iconic new courthouse construction project in downtown San Diego was nearing completion and the time had come to consider a name for the new building, my office sought input from the San Diego legal community to determine a consensus choice.
After considering hundreds of submissions, it became clear that, among many worthy options, San Diegans preferred to honor two former, prominent San Diegan judges--Judge James Carter or Judge Judy Keep.
After reviewing their achievements, I decided that the right thing to do would be to honor both of these individuals--as they were both true trailblazers in the San Diego community.
And reflecting San Diego's widespread support for honoring Judge Carter and Judge Keep my legislation was endorsed by the San Diego City Council, the San Diego County Bar Association, and San Diego's Mayor at the time, Jerry Sanders.
Judge Carter was the moving force behind the creation of the Southern California District.
In response to the tremendous population growth in San Diego after World War II, Judge Carter successfully convinced the Judicial Conference of the United States to create the Southern District-- allowing the people of San Diego and its neighboring communities access to the federal court system.
In 1966, after its creation, Judge Carter became the first Chief Judge of the District Court, serving in that position until his appointment to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Keep was instrumental in opening up the San Diego legal field to women.
Judge Keep graduated from San Diego Law School as its valedictorian-- at a time when fewer than 5% of lawyers were women!
She then worked as a Staff Attorney at Defenders, Inc. where she was the first female staff attorney representing indigent criminal defendants in federal court.
In 1980, Judge Keep was nominated to become the first female judge for the District Court of the Southern District of California, and later she became the District Court's first female Chief Judge.
Displaying true dedication to public service, both Judge Carter and Judge Keep worked tirelessly off the bench to better the San Diego community.
Judge Carter founded the Federal Defenders of San Diego and was instrumental in the creation of the University of San Diego Law School.
Former law clerks of Judge Carter remember him as a giant of his time, a man who was revered by the San Diego legal community, and whose service was an example for all those who followed in his footsteps.
Judge Carter even touched the life of one of our colleagues, Senator Mike Crapo. Like many law clerks who passed through the judge's chambers, he was in awe of Judge Carter's service and work. And in Senator Crapo's words, there is ``no more appropriate way to honor his legacy than to name this federal courthouse for Judge Carter.''
Judge Keep was a Chair of both the Task Force on Judicial Wellness and the Conference of Chief District Judges for the 9th Circuit, and she worked with the San Diego Community Foundation and the Armed Forces
