James Oberstar: “I rise in support of S. 1904, a bill to designate the United States Courthouse located at 400 North Miami Avenue, Miami…”

“I rise in support of S. 1904, a bill to designate the United States Courthouse located at 400 North Miami Avenue, Miami, FL, as the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Courthouse. Judge Wilkie Ferguson, a native Floridian, was born of Bahamian parents in Miami on May 1, 1938, and died on June 9, 2003. He was educated at Florida A&M University and Howard University Law School. Judge Ferguson served with distinction as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1960 to 1964, and as a Reserve captain from 1964 until 1968. He was nominated to the Federal bench by President Clinton in 1993 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in November 1993. Rising from humble beginnings, Judge Ferguson was highly educated, hard working, and a dedicated public servant. In addition to his undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University, he also received a master's degree from Drexel University in Philadelphia, as well as a law degree from Howard University in the District of Columbia. Judge Ferguson holds the distinction of being the first black jurist appointed to the Miami-Dade Circuit Court and the Third District Court of Appeals. Judge Ferguson was a prolific writer and authored many articles on Federal drug laws, expert witnesses, and privacy in the computer age.”