John Conyers

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Barrett) a distinguished member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sandlin). (Mr. SANDLIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Danner). (Ms. DANNER asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) our distinguished minority whip.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dixon). (Mr. DIXON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goode). (Mr. GOODE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. John).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Charles Schumer), a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary who will be departing this House. (Mr. SCHUMER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan), a distinguished member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kleczka).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald).

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I was greatly saddened to hear of the loss of Judge Leon Higginbotham this week. He was a great civil rights champion who died with his boots on, for just two weeks ago I had the honor of introducing him to the Judiciary Committee impeachment hearings, where he protested the current impeachment process in his last major appearance. Judge Higginbotham's death on December 14th was a loss not just for his wife Evelyn and his children, but for every American. Leon Higginbotham was in every way a giant. His contribution to the law as a peerless judge and superb educator was immense. His large personality and his passionate love of justice made him a colossus of the civil rights movement. The attentive silence which marked his impeccably coherent and flawlessly logical testimony just 2 weeks ago to the Judiciary Committee reminded the nation's lawmakers, and the people, of the brilliance possessed by this giant of a man. Leon Higginbotham's achievements have served as an inspiration to Americans of all ages. His brilliant record as a civil rights attorney led to his becoming a federal judge in 1964. His performance as one of the United States' most consistent and fair judges led to his being appointed to the US Circuit Court of appeals fourteen years later. In 1995 he was recognized by President Bill Clinton with the award of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His authority and standing led South African President Nelson Mandela to seek his expertise and impartiality as a mediator in the landmark 1994 elections. Leon Higginbotham belongs to that group of exceptional people which any nation is proud to call its own. His outspoken courage, and his passionate opposition to racism was clearly reinforced at the hearings two weeks ago. His clear condemnation of the damage that discrimination and disregard for individual civil rights does to the justice system made his magnum opus ``Race and the American Legal System'' one of the most important and influential legal texts in the lifetime of this Republic. I join every American in mourning the passing of Leon Higginbotham and in saluting his living legacy. His compassion and his respect for the individual combined with his unrivalled knowledge and love of the law to making a person I am proud to say I knew. My sympathy and that of my family goes out to his family, whose loss we all share.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio). (Mr. DeFazio asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown). (Ms. BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Vento). (Mr. VENTO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega). (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton). (Ms. NORTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra). (Mr. BECERRA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. McKinney).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie). (Mr. ABERCROMBIE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Meehan), a member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Mascara). (Mr. MASCARA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)