Washington, D.C. -- Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) released the following statement on the introduction of companion bills to name the U.S. courthouse currently under construction in Bakersfield, California, after Judge Myron Donovan Crocker. The Senate bill, S. 1406, was introduced by Senator Boxer on Friday and is cosponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and the House bill, H.R. 2650, was introduced today by Rep. Costa.

Senator Boxer said: "Judge Crocker was a well-respected federal judge for more than 40 years and was active in his community. Naming the new U.S. courthouse in Bakersfield after Judge Crocker is an appropriate way to honor him and is a fitting tribute for his many years of public service."

Rep. Costa said: "Judge Myron Crocker served the San Joaquin Valley as a federal judge for more than forty years, and his legacy will not soon be forgotten. In this spirit, I am proud to introduce H.R. 2650, a bill to name the United States Courthouse in Bakersfield after Judge Crocker, a superior jurist and an individual who always cared about our Valley."

A native Californian, Myron Crocker was born in Pasadena, grew up in Fresno, and attended Fresno State College and the University of California at Berkley law school (Boalt Hall). After serving with the Federal Bureau of Investigations and as Assistant District Attorney in Madera County, he was elected Judge of Chowchilla Justice Court in 1952 and appointed to the Madera County Superior Court in 1958. In 1959, Judge Crocker was nominated to the U.S. District Court, which was then part of the Southern District of California, by President Eisenhower. When the Eastern District was created in 1966, he was the only District Judge in the Fresno Division and served as Chief Judge from 1966-67. Judge Crocker assumed senior status in 1981 and continued to serve until his retirement in 2002. He passed away in 2010.

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