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| Fri, Aug. 29, 2008 |  |
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Bills would name courthouse for Judge Howard Wednesday, Apr 25, 2007 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Bills introduced this week in Congress would rename Pine Bluff's federal building and U.S. courthouse for George Howard Jr., a longtime judge who died Saturday. Howard, a Jefferson County native, was the first black U.S. District Court Judge in Arkansas. He was 82. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., sponsored a Senate bill filed Monday that would designate the building at 100 E. Eighth Ave. in Pine Bluff as the "George Howard Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse." Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., was a co-sponsor. An identical House version was introduced Tuesday, sponsored by Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, whose district includes Pine Bluff. Reps. John Boozman, R-Rogers, Marion Berry, D-Gillett, and Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, were all co-sponsors. "George Howard was a very accomplished lawyer and judge and a pioneer in many ways," Pryor said. "I think it's a fitting honor for him to have a federal building named after him." Howard was appointed to the federal bench by President Carter in 1980. Among cases he presided over were the Whitewater-related fraud trials of James and Susan McDougal and former Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. A World War II veteran, Howard started his law practice in Pine Bluff in the mid-1950s. He was the first black to serve on the state Claims Commission and as a state Appeals Court and Supreme Court judge. "He was admired for his fairness and will be forever remembered as a dedicated public servant who cared deeply about his family, his work, his state and his country," Ross said. Howard's funeral is 1 p.m. Saturday at New Town Baptist Church in Pine Bluff. |
