xt7msb3wtd0h_29 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7msb3wtd0h/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7msb3wtd0h/data/72m2.dao.xml unknown 166 Cubic Feet 381 document boxes, seven textile items, three map folders, one artwork archival material 72m2 English University of Kentucky The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Frederick Moore Vinson papers Economic stabilization. Elections -- United States -- Congresses. Judges -- Correspondence. Judges -- United States. Judicial opinions Judicial process -- United States Legislators -- Correspondence. New Deal, 1933-1939. World War, 1914-1918 -- Veterans. World War, 1939-1945. Judges - general correspondence, S-Z text Judges - general correspondence, S-Z 2019 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7msb3wtd0h/data/72m2/Box_165/Folder_4/Multipage3550.pdf 1949-1953 1953 1949-1953 section false xt7msb3wtd0h_29 xt7msb3wtd0h , 5‘f.:trggmuxqufipuaaaumma:a =2» W":

 

 _UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT
WASHINGTON 1,D.C.

CHAMBERS OF July 1, 1952

CHIEF JUDGE STEPHENS

My dear Mr. Chief Justice Vinson:

In Volume 87 of the official reports of the decisions
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit, the West Publishing Company printed, in
respect of the Laying of the Cornerstone of the new United
States Court House for the District of Columbia, the following:
A photograph of the Court House; photographs of the members
of the Courts which will occupy the building, to wit, the
United States Court of Appeals, above referred to, and the
United States District Court for the District of Columbia;
a list of other court officials who will also be located in
the building; the program of the ceremony at the Laying of
the Cornerstone; a list of the articles placed in the corner-
stone; the inscription on the trowel used by the President
of the United States in laying the cornerstone; the names of
members of the Committee of the Bar who assisted in arrange—
ments for the ceremony; and the proceedings, which include
addresses by the President and by members of the Bench and Bar.

As a compliment to the Courts above mentioned, the West
Publishing Company has generously prepared and furnished to
me a limited number of reprints of the foregoing, suitably
bound in memento form, for distribution to the judges and to
officials and friends who aided or were interested in the
work which finally accomplished the construction of the new
Court House.

I am therefore pleased to be able to send you the enclosed
memento of the Laying of the Cornerstone.

Sincsrely yours,

Vii“...

)\%wi//MZ- If? , t, by, arm/WW
Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson . /,
Supreme Court of the United States /
Washington 13, D.C.

 

  

 

  

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Washington, D. C.
June twenty-seventh, nineteen hundred and fifty

 

  

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Standing] lolt to right: Charles Fahy; David L. Bazelon; E. Barrett Prettyrnan; Wilbur K. Miller;
James M. Proctor; George T. Washington.

Seated, left to right: Henry W. Edgorton; Harold M. Stephens (Chief ludge); Bennett Champ Clark.

 

 

 

 

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THE CIRCUIT JUSTICE

The Chief Justice of the United States, FRED M. VINSON

THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

The Chief Judge, HAROLD M. STEPHENS

The Circuit Judges

HENRY WHITE EDGERTON JAMES M. PROCTOR

BENNETT CHAMP CLARK DAVID L. BAZELON

WILBUR K. MILLER CHARLES FAHY

E. BARRETT PRETTYMAN GEORGE THOMAS WASHINGTON

D. LAWRENCE GRONER, Retired.

 

  

 

 

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Standing, 10H to right: Mrs. Burniid Shelton ivicriihc-ws; Chcxricz; F. McLaughlin; Edward M. Curran,-

Alexander Holtzofi; Henry A, Schwcinhaut; Richmond B. Keech; Edward A, Tainin; Iomes R. Kirkland.

Seated] left to right: Dru/iii Ar Pine; T, Alan Colrlxboiougii; Jennings Bailey; Boliiha I. Laws; (Chief

Iudgc); F. Dickinson Leiis; Iamcs W. Morris; Muiihcw Fr McGuire.

 

 

  

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THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
The Chief Judge, BOLITHA J. LAWS

The District Judges

JENNINGS BAILEY, ALEXANDER HOLTZOFF

F. DICKINSON LETTS RICHMOND B. KEECH

T. ALAN GOLDSBOROUGH EDWARD M. CURRAN

JAMES W. MORRIS EDWARD A. TAMM

DAVID A. PINE CHARLES F. McLAUGHLIN
MATTHEW F. MCGUIRE JAMES R. KIRKLAND

HENRY A. SCHWEINHAUT BURNITA SHELTON MATTHEWS

JESSE C. ADKINS, Retired,

 

  

6/26 United States Officials

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United States Commissioner __________________ CYRIL S. LAWRENCE
United States Attorney _______________________ GEORGE MORRIS FAY
Referee in Bankruptcy _______________________ JOHN A. BRESNAHAN
Probation Officer ____________________________ EDWARD W. GARRETT
Domestic Relations Commissioner ____________ PHILIP M. HAMILTON
Register of Wills ____________________________ THEODORE COGSWELL
Mental Health Commission ____THOMAs GILLESPIE WALSH, Chairman
Clerk of the United States Court of Appeals ______ JOSEPH W. STEWART
Clerk Of the United States District Court __________ HARRY M. HULL
United States Marshall ______________________ W. BRUCE MATTHEWS

 

  

@roqmm of Geremom'es

~~~~

HAROLD M. STEPHENS

Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals
For the District of Columbia Circuit
Presiding

Invocation
THE REVEREND JOSEPH MORAN

Address and Introductions
THE PRESIDING OFFICER

Address on behalf of the District of Columbia Bar
WALTER C. CLEPHANE

Address on behalf of the Judiciary

BOLITHA J. LAWS,

Chief Judge of the

United States District Court
for the District of Columbia

Address by the President of the United States
Laying of the Cornerstone
Benediction

THE REVEREND ARIEL NATHANIEL WARNER.

11

 

  

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~~~~

Photograph of the President of the United States.
Photograph of the Vice President of the United States.
Photograph of the Chief Justice of the United States.
Photograph of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Photograph of the Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit, 1950.

Photograph of the Judges of the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia, 1950.

Copy of the plans of the new courthouse.
Photograph of the model of the new courthouse.

A metallic sheet inscribed with the names of the past and present judg-
es of the United States Courts of the District of Columbia.

A metallic sheet supplied by the Bar Association of the District of Co-
lumbia and inscribed with the names of its past presidents.

A metallic sheet supplied by the Federal Bar Association and inscribed
with the names of its past presidents.

A metallic sheet supplied by the Washington Bar Association of the
District of Columbia and inscribed with the names of its past
presidents.

A metallic sheet supplied by the Women’s Bar Association of the Dis-
trict of Columbia and inscribed with the names of its past
presidents.

12

 articles @[ace() in the Garnersfone—continae3

A copy of each of the special courthouse editions, dated June 27, 1950,
of the following newspapers:

The Washington Daily News.
The Washington Evening Star.
The Washington Law Reporter.
The Washington Post.

The Washington Times-Herald.

A copy of this program.
A copy of the invitation to the ceremonies.
A copy of each of the addresses at the ceremonies.

A copy of the architect’s plans for the arrangements of seats and
stands for the ceremonies.

A copy of the latest volume of reports of decisions of the United States
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Reports of recent decisions of the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia.

A replica of the Seal of the United States Court of Appeals.
A replica of the Seal of the United States District Court.
The current Congressional Directory of the Blst Congress, 2d Session.

A copy of the Report of the Judicial Conference of the United States,
1949, and the Annual Report of the Director of the Admin-
istrative Office of the United States Courts, 1949.

Two editions of the history of the United States courts of the District
of Columbia and the present District Courthouse entitled “The
Courthouse of the District of Columbia,” the first by F. Reg-
is Noel and Margaret Brent Downing covering the period
from 1800 to 1920 A. D., and the second a continuation until
1939 A. D. by F. Regis Noel

13

 

  

Gilrticlcs @[accd in the Cornerstone—continued

Copies of legislative documents in reference to the new Courthouse:

Act of May 29, 191,7 (Public Law 80, 80th Congress) authorizing
the acquisition of the site and the preparation of plans for the
new courthouse.

Act of May 1],, 191,8 (Public Law 527, 80th Congress) authorizing
the construction of the new courthouse.

Act of July 30, 1947 (Public Law 271, 80th Congress) making an
appropriation for the site and plans for the new courthouse.

Act of June 25, 1948 (Public Law 7’85, 80th Congress) making an
appropriation for the construction of the new courthouse.

Act of August 21;, 1949 (Public Law 266‘, 81st Congress) making
an appropriation for the construction of the new courthouse.

S. 2412, 79th Congress, by Mr. Andrews, to provide for plans and a
site for the new courthouse.

H. R. 6917, 79th Congress, by Mr. Lanham, to provide for plans
and a site for the new courthouse.

S. 1,50, 80th Congress, by Mr. Revercomb, to provide for plans, a
site, and construction of the new courthouse.

S. 2281;, 80th Congress, by Mr. Cain, to provide for the construc-
tion of the new courthouse.

H. R. 3029, 80th Congress, by Mr. Dondero, to provide for plans
and a site for the new courthouse.

H. R. 5963, 80th Congress, by Mr. Dondero, to authorize construc-
tion of the new courthouse.

Silver replica of the seal of the National Capital Sesquicentennial Com-
mission.

A block of the first edition of the special United States Postage Stamp
issued in June 1950 to commemorate the National Capital
Sesquicentennial.

The Holy Bible.

14

  

gmcription on the 6mm!

~-~

THIS TROWEL WAS USED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES IN LAYING THE CORNERSTONE OF THE
UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE FOR THE DISTRICT OF
COLUMBIA ON JUNE THE TWENTY—SEVENTH, NINETEEN
HUNDRED AND FIFTY.

The trowel is presented by the Bar Association of the District
of Columbia in honor of its former presidents (1871-1950).
It is of antique silver and has a handle of aged yellow
pine from the present building of the United
States District Court for the District of
Columbia, dating about 1872.

15

 

  

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~~~~

For the Bar Association of the District of Columbia:
JOHN L. LASKEY
PRESTON C. KING, JR.
JOHN J. WILSON

For the Federal Bar Association:
JAMES E. PALMER, JR.

For the Junior Bar of the District of Columbia:
JOHN L. GRABBER

For the Washington Bar Association of the District of Columbia:
LEROY H. MCKINNEY

For the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia:
OLIVE G. FAIRCLOTH

16

 United Sioies (:0uml o][ Appeals

top the

Disipicf of Columbia Circuit

~~~~

The Laqinq of the Comepsfone
of ilne
United States Coupfllouse
for the
Dis’fPicf oi Columbia

(Washington, .9. 6.
June lwenfy—sevenf/z, nineteen hmzarea am) flfly

~~~~

PROCEEDINGS
(57w preceding; commenced a! 3:00 p. m.)

CHIEF JUDGE STEPHENS: The invocation for this occasion
will be by the Reverend Joseph M. Moran, Pastor of the St. Thom-
as Apostle Roman Catholic Church of Washington.

17

 

 

  

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INVOCATION

FATHER MORAN: Almighty God, Kindly Creator and A11-
vvise Ruler of this world, we beg Thee to shower Thy blessings on
all who are gathered here today for the laying of the cornerstone
of this new Citadel of Law and Justice. Grant the special protec-
tion of Thy all-wise Providence to all who enter here, and keep
them mindful of the sovereignty of Thy Supreme Government.

Bless our Judges with the participation of Thy divine wisdom
in the decisions so momentous that they will be called upon from
time to time to make; and bless our citizens with some measure
of the obedience to law shown by Thy Divine Son, Jesus Christ.

This we beg of Thee in His name. Amen.

ADDRESS AND INTRODUCTIONS BY THE HONORABLE
HAROLD M. STEPHENS, CHIEF JUDGE OF THE UNIT-
ED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT
OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT.

CHIEF JUDGE STEPHENS: There is an ancient Latin prov-
erb which, translated, is to the effect:
“Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
In view of the temperature and the inconstancy of Washing-
ton weather, I think the proverb should be altered to read:

“Let justice be done lest the heavens fall.”

Accordingly, I shall be very brief in justice to you in the audi-
ence and my fellow speakers.

This building is to house the United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit and the United States Dis-
trict Court for the District of Columbia, together with the officials
and agencies which assist the Courts in the administration of jus-
tice; namely, the United States Attorney, the United States Com-
missioner, the Referee in Bankruptcy, the Probation Officer, the
Domestic Relations Commissioner, the Register of Wills, the Men-
tal Health Commission, the Clerks of the Courts, and the United
States Marshal. The total personnel, not attempting to count the
large numbers of jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and litigants who
transiently occupy the building, is some 540 persons.

18

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The present United States District Court building proper dates
back in its original construction almost a century and a third, and
it has undergone no substantial enlargement since 1916. The
Court of Appeals building proper is less ancient. But the in-
creased responsibilities and case load of the two Courts have so
far enlarged their personnel that it has erupted from the two
court buildings into some portions of nine others; and the effi-
cient functioning of the Courts has been impeded by lack of space
and of appropriate facilities. The Congress and the President
took note of this, and by an Act approved May 29, 1947, author-
ized the preparation of plans for a new building to be located upon
this site, and by an Act of May 14, 1948, provided funds for the
project. Construction commenced August 1, 1949. It is expected
that the building will be ready for occupancy by November 1,
1951.

The plans for the building were prepared by the Supervising,
Assisting, and Contracting Architects of the Public Buildings
Service under the direction of and subject to the approval of a
committee of six created by Congress, composed of three Judges,
a member of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Co-
lumbia, the Commissioner of Public Buildings Service, and the
Architect of the Capitol. The design of the building has been ap-
proved, also under the requirement of Congress, by the Commis-
sion of Fine Arts. It is believed by those who have thus been con-
cerned with the preparation of the plans that the building will
not only have a beauty and dignity appropriate to judicial use, but
will also in room arrangement, furnishings, lighting, and acous-
tics function for the needs of judges, jurors, Witnesses, lawyers,
litigants, and the public more efficiently than any other court
building thus far constructed in the United States. The building
site is not only accessible, and fitting in outlook, but is historical-
ly appropriate in that upon it was the home of Chief Justice John
Marshall and nearby the homes of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
and of Chief Justice Salmon B. Chase.

It is not necessary to emphasize to this audience the importance
of the functions of the United States Courts. As said by the late
Mr. Justice Sutherland: Liberty and order are the most precious
possessions of man, and the essence of the problem of government

19

 

  

$155M of Goluméia

is in reconciliation of the two; order must not be sacrificed in the
name of liberty, for that would be anarchy; liberty must not be
lost in the name of order, for that would be despotism. The judi-
cial branch of government must protect society against the in-
dividual who attempts to interfere with its peace and order and
must, at the same time, be fearless and independent to protect the
individual against unjust demands of society. It is an in-
dependent judiciary which preserves for the people, in whom ulti-
mate sovereignty rests, the structure and functions of the Gov-
ernment as expressed in the Constitution, and the rights of the
individual as recognized and guaranteed in that instrument.

It is fitting, therefore, that the United States Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit and the District Court of the
United States for the District of Columbia—whose jurisdiction
in national and local matters combined transcends in extent and
importance that of any of the other Courts, either State or Fed-
eral, except the Supreme Court itself—should be housed in a man-
ner suitable for both the efliciency and the importance of their
function. They will be so housed in this new building, the corner-
stone of which we lay today.

Before presenting the speakers, I take occasion in behalf of the
Judges of both Courts to thank the Chief Justice of the United
States for attending the ceremony as our Circuit Justice and for
his characteristically generous waiver of rank in order that those
of lesser seniority might speak for themselves and their Court
at this ceremony.

We thank the Chief Justice’s Chief J ustice—Judge D. Lawrence
Groner—retired on account of ill health, for appearing here to-
day.

We thank the Bar Associations and their committees and mem-
bers for their aid.

We thank Mr. Henry P. Chandler and Mr. Leland Tolman of the
Administrative Office of the United States Courts for managing
the details of today’s arrangements, and Mr. Thomas E. Wagga-
man, Marshal of the Supreme Court of the United States, for his
assistance.

20

  

fibfflcf of Goluméia

and that they completely agree with the courts. What is still more
remarkable, there is no dissenting opinion by any of the Judges.
Furthermore, the laity, who have contributed their time and effort
to make possible the happiness We all experience at the culmina-
tion of the labor which has entered into this building, unite with us
in the feeling of satisfaction that the business is well in hand. And
so, I express the gratitude of the Bar of this District to the laity
for the able manner in which they have done their part, to the
Members of Congress who have recognized our needs and pro-
vided for them, and to you, Mr. President, who by a stroke of the
pen have transformed a dream into a law.

Among all those who have so effectively labored it is diflicult
and perhaps unjust to single out one for special mention, but I
feel sure that the Bar would never forgive me if I should not re-
fer to our beloved Chief Judge Bolitha J. Laws, who has worked
in season and out of season, sacrificing his time and endangering
his health, to make possible this courthouse. (Applause) To
him unanimously and enthusiastically we voice our gratitude.

History informs us that 130 years ago, when our present court-
house was dedicated, the orator of the day was one John Law,
an Englishman. It seems quite a coincidence that on this occasion
another Law of English descent and possibly a relative should be
a prominent figure. The addition of the letter “s” to his name is
immaterial. This is due, no doubt, to the fact that the laws are
more complicated in these days.

In August of 1820 a parade of frock-coated and silk-hatted men
climbed the hill from Pennsylvania Avenue over a road no longer
existent, and dedicated our present courthouse. This statement
may be a trifle misleading, because that building was not then
known as or expected to be used for a courthouse. It was called
City Hall and intended to house the administrative offices of the
District of Columbia. Its use as a courthouse was an after-
thought. When it became necessary to move the Court from its
then location on Capitol Hill the city government leased to it two
rooms in the building for court purposes. The tenant gradually
outgrew the landlord and the latter eventually was forced to se-
cure quarters elsewhere. I well remember, and it was not so long

22

 

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We thank Mr. W. E. Reynolds and Mr. Allan S. Thorn of the
Public Buildings Service, Mr. Louis Justement, the contracting
architect, and the Charles Tompkins Company, building contrac-
tors, for their cooperation.

We thank Mr. Regis Noel and Mr. Julius Peyser for furnishing,
in honor of the presidents of the District of Columbia Bar Associ-
ation, the trowel with which the President will spread mortar for
the cornerstone. The wood of the trowel is from an ancient tim-
ber in the United States District Court building.

We thank the Police Department and the Secret Service for
their protection.

Finally, we thank the Marine Band for its music. It is of inter-
est to note that at the ceremony of August 22, 1820, when the
cornerstone of the present United States District Court building
was laid, the Marine Band was present and furnished the music—
then as today, Semper Fidelis.

The first speaker, Colonel Walter Collins Clephane, has been a
member and a leader of the Bar of the District of Columbia for
61 years. He is an author of legal treatises of recognized merit,
has been a member of the Faculty of The George Washington
University Law School, of the National Railway Labor Panel, and
of many Railway Arbitration and Presidential Emergency Boards,
as well as a Judge Advocate in the United States Army in the
First World War. In his high character, distinguished ability,
and extended experience he fittingly speaks for the Bar of this
jurisdiction.

I am pleased to present Colonel Clephane. (Applause)

ADDRESS OF WALTER C. CLEPHANE, ESQUIRE.

Mr. President, Mr. Chief Justice of the United States, Mr.
Chairman and Justices and Judges of our courts, and distinguish-
ed guests who have honored this occasion by your presence, we of
the Bar of the District of Columbia extend to you a hearty wel-
come.

This is the day when dreams come true! It is noteworthy also,
because of all the lawyers present, that they are in entire accord

21

 

 flew united States Goad/rouse

ago, when some of the administrative offices were still lodged in
that building.

(It is said that one early English writer, in communicating with
his home, described that building as the District of Columbia Hos—
pital for the Insane; but it is believed that this description was
not wholly accurate.)

The early judicial records contained in that old building are
interesting as contrasted with those of today. Instead of now con-
cerning ourselves, as our ancestors did, with litigation pertaining
to runaway slaves and rights of their owners, we find the descend-
ants of those slaves occupying, most honorably, seats on the bench
of the courts throughout the land and high positions in the Unit-
ed Nations. We are not now disturbed with indictments and con-
victions of women for being common scolds, punishable by sub—
jecting them to the ducking stool. On the contrary, we find
women also seated in the judicial chairs, making the men behave,
and likewise participating in the activities of the United Nations
in adjusting international affairs of moment. This old world in
its writhings and twistings has turned completely upside down,
a rather undignified posture, by the way, and one suggesting and
provoking a good sound spanking; and believe me, it has been
spanked, or more accurately speaking, thrashed; and that thrash-
ing has been administered in some degree by the descendants of
those who 180 years ago were at the bottom of the heap.

It has been suggested that a change in judicial procedure con-
sists of the increasing tendency to file dissenting opinions. With-
out attempting to argue whether this is good or bad, any candid
observer must admit that throughout those dissents there has
been manifested a spirit of almost crusader—like zeal in the effort
to insist that the law should be decided to be what the dissenter
believed it should be. As long as this spirit asserts itself in these
dissents and as long as they are not animated by selfish interests,
no fear need be felt that the supremacy of the law is being en-
dangered from this source.

But there is danger from another quarter, and that may be
found among the lawyers themselves. There are certain immut-

23

 

  

wisln'cf 0/ calamari

able, intangible values, principles of right and wrong, which are
the same today as they were 130 years or 1300 years ago, and
will be the same when, generations hence, this cornerstone which
is being laid today will be opened for the purpose of discovering
what manner of men and women we people of 1950 were.

I well remember the day, 61 years ago, when I, in company with
others who had passed the bar examination (now all gone to the
Great Beyond except myself), appeared before the bar of our
court and took the oath of office as attorneys and counselors at
law, an oath which has been taken by every lawyer practicing
here. We vowed that we would demean ourselves as members of
this bar, uprightly and according to law, and that we would sup-
port the Constitution of the United States. I wonder what pro-
portion of us have analyzed the elements of that oath. I think I
never did so as searchingly as when I saw the oath of office ad-
ministered to the great Chief Justice of the United States on the
South Portico of the White House a few years ago, and heard his
response: “I do, so help me God.” From that moment I have
known that the administration of justice is in competent hands.

May I detain you for a few moments to briefly analyze the law-
yer’s oath? We as attorneys have pledged ourselves to demean
ourselves uprightly. How much meaning is contained in that
word “Uprightly” ! A clergyman perhaps would give it one sig-
nification, a judge another, and the average man on the street
still another; but all would agree that it requires of us consider-
ably more than obedience to any man—made law. It will be no-
ticed that the obligation to live uprightly is mentioned first. Sec—
ondly, with all that is implied in that word, we must conduct our-
selves lawfully; and the framer of the oath singled out among
the various laws one which he evidently considered as of para—
mount importance, namely, the obligation to support the Consti-
tution of the United States. All of this is followed by an invoca-
tion for help from Almighty God, without which the recital of the
vows would be a hollow mockery. Have we lived up to our
pledge? If not, then we inevitably incur the danger to which I
have heretofore alluded. If we deviate in our professional con—
duct from a single element of that oath, then the foundations of
the temple of the administration of the law will tremble; and if

24

 

 We“) united States court/muse

we disregard them all, it may be that this building whose corner-
stone we are laying today, no matter how well planned and built,
will utterly fail of its purpose.

Any applicant for admission to the Bar Whose beliefs and ac-
tions make it impossible for him to consistently and conscientious-
ly take this oath must be barred from admission; and any al-
ready admitted who have demonstrated by their professional con-
duct that they have become indifferent to these obligations must
be disbarred, and in this every lawyer and judge must cooperate.

I commend this thought to my fellow members of the Bar for
your earnest consideration today when we are about to transfer
our activities from the old courthouse to the new. Is it not an
appropriate time to re-evaluate the meaning of these vows which
we took on our admission and reappraise our professional conduct
in order that we may determine whether and how far the latter
had diverged from the former; and if there has been such diverg-
ence, then to make every endeavor to bring the two into har-
mony? I invite my colleagues at the Bar to join me in the solemn
pledge that THIS WE WILL DO.

(Applause)

CHIEF JUDGE STEPHENS: The second speaker is the Hon-
orable Bolitha J. Laws, a member of the Bar of this jurisdiction
since 1913, a Judge of the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia since 1939, of the United States Emergency
Court of Appeals since 1943, and Chief Judge of the United States
District Court for the District of Columbia since 1945. While he
has had the assistance of others, including members of the Bench
and Bar, and of the Board of Commissioners of the District of
Columbia and of the Board of Trade, to him, more than to any
other single individual or official, must be extended the credit
for the effective presentation to the Congress of the needs of the
two courts for this new building.

I am honored to present Chief Judge Laws. (Applause)
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warm of Gambia

ADDRESS OF THE HONORABLE BOLITHA J. LAWS, CHIEF
JUDGE OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Mr. President, Chief Justice, fellow members of the Bench and
Bar:

This is an important event to the city of Washington. In a larg-
er sense, it is an important event to the nation. The two courts
which will occupy this building when it is completed have the
broadest jurisdiction of any in the nation except the Supreme
Court of the United States. Situated at the seat of the Govern-
ment of the United States, we are called upon to decide cases the
types of which usually are heard in the state courts and also those
which are customarily heard in the United States courts; and in
the latter class there are brought to our attention some that are
of the most vital concern to the nation itself. The Cabinet offi-
cers are called before our courts in a challenge to the actions of
those of their departments. The Attorney General of the United
States institutes in our courts some of the major litigation, both
civil and criminal, which comes under his control. We are called
upon daily, almost, to hear and determine the validity of Acts pass-
ed by the Congress of the United States. When we find any liti-
gant in the courts, we are faced by a momentous problem; but
when we are confronted by a challenge between an individual and
his Government, the case takes on an import which often reaches
to every point in the nation. Cases of this type are not rare in
our courts.

In recognition of the national character of this event, we are
delighted to have present today the Chief Executive of the United
States and the Chief Justice of the United States; also Members
of the Congress of the United States. Seldom in history is it that
the leaders of our nation gather together on one occasion. We are
grateful to them and honored by their presence today; and we
want to express to them our profound thanks for the part which
they played in bringing about the granting of this building. And
at this moment I want to pause to join with Chief Judge Stephens
in paying thanks to our modest Chief Justice of the United States,
who has forced himself into oblivion today, for his unflagging in-

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terest and his inspiration to us as we carried forward our efforts
to bring this building to a state of realization.

(Applause.)

We are grateful also to the high officials and the prominent
citizens of the District of Columbia who assisted us in this project.
We cannot let this occasion pass without expressing to them our
thanks. In behalf of our courts, officials of the City of Washing-
ton, and laymen who helped on this project, we express our
thanks.

In the construction of this building we have not forgotten the
layman and the fact that he is the central figure in the court
process. His fortune as a litigant, his family interests, his liberty,
indeed sometimes his life, are at stake in the courts. As a witness
his testimony will guide the court to a just or unjust decision. As
a juror he passes upon some of the most important questions—-
those of fact—which in many instances resolve the controversy.

On occasions, we have heard complaints from the layman. It
has been said