To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the "Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building".

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Missouri and the gentleman from Texas for giving me this opportunity to speak on a true hero in our community.

In New Jersey, Ms. Tolentino is someone that is looked to with great esteem. She led the way on many issues moving women and minorities forward and showing that they had a rightful place at the table of power, the ability to serve, and the distinction to lead.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1376, to name the postal facility located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, after the late Honorable Shirley A. Tolentino.

Shirley Tolentino was born in Jersey City, served as a distinguished jurist in Hudson County for over 26 years, and was a trailblazer for women and African Americans as public servants in New Jersey. She was a product of the local public school system in Jersey City, where she was an honor student, graduating from Snyder High School. She then earned a scholarship to attend the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey, graduating with a degree in Latin with honors.

To put herself through law school, Judge Tolentino worked as a high school Latin and English teacher while attending Seton Hall University School of Law, graduating as the only African American female in the class of 1971.

After law school, she became a deputy attorney general in the State of New Jersey, where she remained until she rose to the bench in Jersey City in 1976. She became the second African American woman to be named as a municipal court judge in New Jersey, and the first to be appointed to the Jersey City Municipal Court.

In 1980, Judge Tolentino earned her master of laws degree in criminal justice from NYU Graduate School of Law, while continuing to serve in the municipal court. In 1981, she continued to blaze a trail for others, becoming the first African American presiding judge of Jersey City Municipal Court. Her successes didn't stop there. In 1984, when she was appointed by Governor Thomas Kean, Judge Tolentino became the first African American woman to ascend to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey.

Later, she was appointed to the original Coleman Commission, which would later be called the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on Minorities. During her time on the Commission, she became the chair of the Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, and also served as a Supreme Court chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice and Minority Defendants. With all her professional achievements, she viewed her appointment and time served on the Commission as her greatest accomplishment.

Over the years, Judge Tolentino's career was highlighted by many firsts, and she accomplished much during her years on and off the bench. As a member of the Jersey City Hudson County Urban League, the Hudson County Girl Scouts board, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Hudson County CYO, the Visiting Homemakers of Hudson County board, and a host of other local organizations, she was an integral part of her community.

Throughout her success, Judge Tolentino always called Jersey City home and actively participated in community service in the city that bore and raised her.

Judge Shirley Tolentino passed away on October 31, 2010, and is survived by her husband, Dr. Ernesto Tolentino, children, and grandchildren.

It is not a coincidence that the post office to bear her name would be located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. There is no better way to honor the achievements of Judge Tolentino and at the same time provide a permanent monument of possibilities and hope for young women, African Americans, and the citizens of Jersey City.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill in honor of her legacy.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1376) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the ``Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 1376, introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building.

Judge Tolentino was a remarkable woman, and her life was marked by several accomplishments. Judge Tolentino was born in Jersey City and graduated from Henry Snyder High School as an honor student. She attended the College of St. Elizabeth's and Seton Hall University School of Law, where she was the only African American in her class when she received her juris doctor degree in 1971. Judge Tolentino also went on to receive a specialized master of laws degree in criminal justice from New York University Graduate School of Law in 1980.

Judge Tolentino was appointed to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey on January 11, 1984. She was the first female appointed to that position. She had previously been appointed as the first female to the Jersey City Municipal Court in 1976. In 1981, she became the first female presiding judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court.

One of her proudest accomplishments was serving on the Coleman Commission, which later became the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on Minorities, as well as chairing the Commission on Criminal Justice and Minority Defendants and serving on the Committee on Criminal Practice.

In addition to her fine public service, Judge Tolentino was a leader in many service-oriented organizations, including the Urban League, Girl Scouts, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She also served on the boards of various academic institutions, including her alma mater, St. Elizabeth's.

Unfortunately, Judge Tolentino passed away at the age of 67 on October 31, 2010. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Ernesto Tolentino, two daughters, and many beloved family members and friends. She was a pillar of her community and a strong role model for women and men of all ages.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1376, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I join with my friends and colleagues across the aisle, Mr. Payne and Mr. Clay, in urging passage of H.R. 1376, designating the postal facility in New Jersey to be named after Judge Tolentino, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I urge the passage of H.R. 1376, to commemorate the life of Judge Tolentino and all of her accomplishments and service to the Jersey City community.

I yield back the balance of my time.