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“TRIBUTE TO RICHARD BRANDITZ IGLEHART” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H6435-H6436 on July 9, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO RICHARD BRANDITZ IGLEHART
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives in the Capital of this country to pay tribute to one of California's most beloved public servants: Alameda County Superior Court Judge Richard B. Iglehart, who passed away in Istanbul on July 2 while attending a State Department-sponsored conference. He was just 60 years old. He was a friend, a brother, a colleague, and he leaves behind so many wonderful people. He is survived by his beloved wife Judith Iglehart; his son, Matthew Iglehart; his stepsons, Christopher and Scott; his sister Barbara; his brother-in-law Hans; Alan Iglehart, a brother; six nephews and nieces, aunts and cousins, and his former wife, Dee Iglehart.
I met Dick in Santa Clara Law School. Before that, he had gone to Piedmont High School and UC Berkeley where he was a Beta and played rugby. He served in the Army in Germany as an officer in the 3rd Armored Cavalry. After graduating, he went to Santa Clara Law School where I met him.
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He ended up being a career prosecutor who became the chief assistant district attorney in Alameda and also in San Franciso Counties. He became the chief assistant for the criminal division in the California attorney general's office under Attorney General John van de Camp. Dick also served as the counsel to the Assembly Public Safety Committee. He was a California district attorneys association lobbyist and was an Assembly Fellow.
He worked unceasingly to rid California and the Nation of assault weapons. He was instrumental in helping pass legislation lowering the penalties on marijuana possession. He changed the laws, making it easier for child sexual assault victims to testify in court. He was an expert on sentencing procedures, the California three strikes laws, Proposition 36, and serial killers, and an early champion for using DNA as a testing in criminal trials.
He taught at Hastings, and he also gave courses for continuing education of the bar. He lectured at the FBI Academy, Berkley Center for Study of Law and Society, and he often spoke at the local high schools.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who is in the district that Dick is from so she can also pay tribute. While she is coming to the microphone, I will say that while we are here on the floor there is a memorial service in her district at Piedmont at the Piedmont Community Church.
Ms. LEE. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding and just say tonight that I join with the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr) and all of our colleagues in remembering and celebrating the life of a great human being, a giant, a constituent, my friend, Richard Iglehart.
While serving as a member of the Assembly Public Safety Committee in the California legislature, I had the real privilege of working very closely with Dick when he was chief counsel to the committee. And I came to rely on his thoughtfulness, his fairness and his wisdom. When working with Dick, I was always deeply impressed with his ability to do simple things simple and he always did what he said he would do.
Dick's passionate and unshakable belief in our system of justice provided the foundation for everything that he accomplished in his legal career. His vast knowledge of the law and our government earned him the respect of defenders and prosecutors, liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans. Dick met people where they were and brought them along. He took the time to help them see things from a different perspective or to shed light on a complicated subject. He was a true mentor, and it was my great and very good fortune to have been really one of his students. I will miss his kind words of encouragement and support.
One could not know Dick without knowing of his love and his devotion to his wife, Judy, and his family. He was a good friend to so many of us. Words cannot express my sympathy and sorrow at his untimely death. Let us honor and celebrate Dick's legacy by rededicating ourselves to the ideals and the values that he championed. My thoughts and prayers are with the Iglehart family this evening as the memorial service is taking place at this very moment.
He will always hold a special place in my heart and in the heart of many.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much. We would like to say to the family, we love you, Dick. We will see you around and give a hug to our friends in heaven, and we will keep the torch burning.
Christine Pelosi said Dick taught us to put a human face on the criminal justice system for terrified and traumatized victims and witnesses, while understanding that today's defendants could well be yesterday's or tomorrow's victims. Dick had the legal acumen, rock-
solid integrity, and sense of humor that helped us address those sad realities, and to manage the pressure to succeed as prosecutors and grow as legal professionals. But Dick was more than just a boss ``he was a great big bear of a man who always stuck up for us young prosecutors, particularly the women, when judges of opponents tried to rough us up. Having his confidence in us made us all the more able to successfully prosecute the tough cases.''
Attorney Michael Weiss said: ``He asked me if I had ever thought about being a prosecutor. I told him that I had briefly entertained the idea. He told me that he had spent nearly his entire career in law as a prosecutor and that he couldn't remember a day when he didn't look forward to going to work.'' ``My days working for Dick were some of my best. And to this day, his words continued to inspire me: to find a quality in my work that makes it something I look forward to, everyday.''
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