New San Diego Federal Courthouse Dedicated
April 23, 2013
TJSL Graduate is Aide to Congresswoman Who Played Key Role in Project
A place where TJSL graduates will be practicing law for generations to come, the new downtown Federal Courthouse was dedicated on Friday, April 18.
The planning process that began nearly 20 years ago resulted in a courthouse that Representative Susan Davis called: “Stunning.”
The congresswoman was a leader in getting Congress to approve the funding for the project that she described as “a powerful symbol of U.S. governance. The wheels of government may spin slowly, but when San Diegans come together to solve a problem we see it through until we get results. So for me, the courthouse will also serve as reminder of the good that we can do together.”
TJSL graduate Brandon Primus ’12 attended the dedication ceremony with Representative Davis – he is a congressional aide in her San Diego office. Primus was named to the position post-graduation after interning and volunteering at Davis’ congressional offices while a law student.
“I wanted to use my legal experience in a non-traditional way,” Primus said. He says his TJSL education “forced me to think critically,” an asset in his position as liaison to several different community groups.
“I work with people and organizations at the street level,” Primus says, “to understand the issues people face in their daily lives so we can create solutions at the grassroots level.”
Meantime, Representative Davis has introduced a bill to have the new courthouse to be named after two former federal judges, James Carter and Judith Keep, who were so instrumental in the early stages of getting the project underway.
The 16-story court house is “a modern beacon of justice,” according to Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court Barry Ted Moskowitz. “But if John Adams were to walk into one of the courtrooms, he would know exactly where to sit and where to direct his arguments.”
“It’s a soaring, beautiful building,” said Chief Judge Laura Taylor of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court that is housed in the Jacob Weinberger U.S. Courthouse nearby. The ceremony also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Weinberger Ccourthouse.
As for the new courthouse, it was built in the hope of being awarded LEED Gold Status by the U.S. Green Building Council – a designation recently given to TJSL’s new downtown campus.
In the aftermath of the recent Boston Marathon bombing, Ruth Cox, Regional Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, assured everyone the building was built with “rigorous standards of safety – for dignity and peace of mind.”