U.S.
Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works
Bill to Name
Fresno
Courthouse for Judge Coyle
Passes House of Representatives
Measure Passed Senate in April
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today announced that S. 801, a bill to designate the federal courthouse in Fresno, California , as the Robert E. Coyle United States Courthouse has now passed both houses of Congress. The bill was approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee by unanimous voice vote and passed the full Senate by unanimous consent. The House of Representatives passed the measure today by voice vote. President Bush is expected to sign the measure into law within the next few weeks.
Senator Boxer said, “I am delighted that this honor will be bestowed on Judge Coyle. Naming the courthouse in
Fresno
for Judge Coyle is fitting recognition of his long record of leadership in the community and his 25 years on the federal bench. My hope is that, in addition to serving the people of the Eastern District as a courthouse, this building will stand as a reminder to the community and people of
California
of the dedicated work of Judge Robert E. Coyle.”
A Fresno native, Judge Robert E. Coyle, 77, has spent his entire legal career in
California
. He earned his B.A. from Fresno State College in 1953, and graduated from
University
of
California
, Hastings College of Law, 1956. After serving as Fresno County Deputy District Attorney for two years, he spent more than two decades in private practice with McCormick,
Barstow
, Sheppard, Coyle & Wayte. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan to
California
’s Eastern District bench in 1982, he served for 25 years, including six as a Chief Judge, before taking Senior Status in 1996. He continued to hear cases as recently as last year.
Coyle was instrumental in having the Fresno Courthouse built and created the “Managing a Capitol Construction Program” to help others understand the process of having a courthouse constructed. This Eastern District program was so well regarded by national court administrators that it is now a nationwide program run by Judge Coyle.
Coyle remains active in the community and has served in many judicial leadership positions, including Chair of the Space and Security Committee; Chair of the Conference of the Chief District Judges of the Ninth Circuit; President of the Ninth Circuit District Judges Association; Member of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of CA; and President of the Fresno County Bar.
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