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Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building

Floor Speech

Date: May 17, 2022
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, S. 2938, as amended by the Rules Committee, designates the Federal building and United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, as the Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building, and for other purposes which are outside the scope of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's purview.

Judge Joseph Hatchett served as the first African-American justice in the Florida Supreme Court. Judge Hatchett served for 20 years as a Federal circuit court judge. He was appointed by Jimmy Carter to the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and did that with honor.

I knew Judge Hatchett. He was a good man and a fair judge. He applied the law equally.

This bill was introduced in the Senate by Marco Rubio and Rick Scott both, and it passed December 29, 2021. However, it didn't meet the suspension rules threshold here in the House and today comes before us under a rule, and that is why we are considering it.

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Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I voted for Judge Hatchett when the issue was on the floor. But it failed. It failed because it didn't have an extraordinary vote. It did have a majority vote, but it didn't have an extraordinary vote. I believe anything that is dealing with the naming of a building that will stay forever needs an extraordinary set of votes and circumstances in order to be qualified. I don't think a majority is enough to say we should name something after somebody else. That hurts me, but I think it is the only thing to do.

Therefore, because of that, and because of the process that is here and this bill is being combined with another person, those two reasons, I would have to oppose this bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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