Bill Text: TX HR72 | 2013 | 83rd Legislature 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: In memory of U.S. District Judge Edward Huggins Johnstone of Louisville, Kentucky.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-07-26 - Reported enrolled [HR72 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HR72-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 72 |
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WHEREAS, The life of an esteemed jurist, a trusted mentor, | ||
and a true friend drew to a close with the passing of U.S. District | ||
Judge Edward Huggins Johnstone of Louisville, Kentucky, on June 26, | ||
2013, at the age of 91; and | ||
WHEREAS, The son of William and Katherine Johnstone, Ed | ||
Johnstone was born on April 26, 1922, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, while | ||
his parents were in the country for agricultural business; he grew | ||
up in Paducah and graduated from Lafayette High School in | ||
Lexington, where he enrolled at the University of Kentucky; soon | ||
into his undergraduate career, he was called into combat during | ||
World War II; he went on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge, and for | ||
his courageous efforts, he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Silver | ||
Star; and | ||
WHEREAS, Returning to Lexington and the university, he | ||
completed his bachelor's degree and subsequently earned his juris | ||
doctorate; during this time, he exchanged wedding vows with the | ||
former Katherine Guion, with whom he shared in the joy of raising | ||
four children, Anne, Bill, Mary, and Fraser; together, the two | ||
moved to western Kentucky in 1949 and settled in Princeton, where | ||
Mr. Johnstone would practice law for more than a quarter-century; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, In 1976, he was appointed judge of the 56th Judicial | ||
Circuit, encompassing a four-county area; he spent only a year in | ||
that post when, in 1977, he was selected to become U.S. District | ||
Judge for the Western District of Kentucky in Paducah; and | ||
WHEREAS, In his 30 years on the bench, Judge Johnstone | ||
presided over a number of high-profile court cases, including one | ||
concerning the treatment of the incarcerated; during that case, he | ||
visited several penitentiaries unannounced in order to personally | ||
assess their conditions; a local newspaper reported on one visit, | ||
in which he climbed through a hole in a cell's wall undeterred by | ||
the pool of ankle-deep raw sewage on the other side, a feat of | ||
boldness that drew applause from the inmates; his ruling ultimately | ||
set a standard for prisoner class action litigation and led to | ||
sweeping reforms of the state prison system; and | ||
WHEREAS, Judge Johnstone believed that all persons were | ||
entitled to dignity and showed the same respect for everyone who | ||
entered his courtroom; highly regarded for his integrity and | ||
evenhandedness, he remained humble and self-effacing, allowing his | ||
actions to speak for his character; over the years, he also went out | ||
of his way to offer friendship and guidance to other individuals in | ||
the legal profession; and | ||
WHEREAS, His tireless work ethic earned him the distinction | ||
of closing more criminal cases than any other judge in his district, | ||
a record he maintained even after taking senior status in 1993; he | ||
gave up the criminal docket in 2006 because of an increasing hearing | ||
loss, but continued to handle social security disability appeals | ||
for another five years; and | ||
WHEREAS, Throughout a truly exemplary career, Judge Ed | ||
Johnstone contributed immeasurably to his fellow citizens and to | ||
his peers in the field of law, and he leaves behind a legacy of | ||
compassion, wisdom, and understanding that will never be forgotten; | ||
now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas | ||
Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of | ||
Edward Huggins Johnstone and extend sincere sympathy to the members | ||
of his family: to his wife, Katherine Guion Johnstone; to his | ||
sister, Katherine Elliott; to his brother, Robert Johnstone; to his | ||
children, Anne Dill and her husband, Gerry, Bill Johnstone and his | ||
wife, Karen Newman, Mary Pepper Woolwine and her husband, George, | ||
and Fraser Johnstone and his wife, Tammy; to his grandchildren, Jed | ||
English, Morgan Newman Armstrong, Guion Johnstone, Will English, | ||
Conrad Newman, Chlodys Johnstone, and Stuart Dill; to his | ||
great-grandchildren, Sara Jo and Aubrey Kathryn Armstrong; and to | ||
his other relatives and many friends; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of | ||
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the | ||
Honorable Edward Huggins Johnstone. | ||
Bohac | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 72 was unanimously adopted by a rising | ||
vote of the House on July 25, 2013. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||