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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING KEN THOMAS
______
HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
of the district of columbia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding
achievements of Ken Thomas, a career Legislative Attorney with the
American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), who
retired from CRS on August 28, 2020, after 36 years of distinguished
government service. In his 33 years with CRS, Ken became the leading
expert on constitutional law, and he made invaluable contributions to
the work of Congress with his substantive knowledge in various legal
areas. He advised Congress on statehood and other political status
changes for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, federalism,
individual and civil rights, criminal law and procedure, the federal
judiciary and education law.
Over the years, House and Senate committees called on Ken to testify
at hearings and share with them his expertise and non-partisan analysis
of important issues. Last year, for example, the House Committee on
Oversight and Reform invited Ken to testify at a hearing on the
Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51). During the course of this
high-profile and contentious hearing, Ken answered numerous questions
from Members about the constitutionality of granting statehood to the
District of Columbia, key to passage of H.R. 51 by the House in June.
My staff and I, in particular, relied on Ken for his analysis of
legal issues involving the uniquely complicated relationship between
the federal government and the District of Columbia, ranging from
constitutional law to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to
appropriations law. Ken always provided prompt, well-reasoned and well-
researched legal analysis.
The following is a recommendation for one of the 28 CRS awards that
Ken received:
During his tenure in the American Law Division, Ken Thomas
demonstrated a level of energy and dedication to the mission
of serving Congress that has been extraordinary. He has
willingly and without hesitation undertaken challenging and
difficult assignments from the Congress. He has been a
prolific writer and has provided comprehensive and in-depth
legal research and analysis in a number of legal areas . . .
. He is always available for and capable of tackling new
issues, especially those that pose complex constitutional
questions. He regularly demonstrates a high degree of
intellectual curiosity, a trait that inspires him to ``go the
extra mile'' for his congressional clients.
During his career with CRS, Ken prepared over 200 written products
for Congress, many of which have been cited in the Congressional
Record, committee reports and congressional hearings. Academic law
reviews and national publications, such as The Washington Post, The
Wall Street Journal and The National Journal, have also cited his work.
Ken has also delivered many keynote Continuing Legal Education lectures
sponsored by CRS to positive reviews.
From 1996 through 2013, Ken was one of the key contributors to the
Senate document ``The Constitution of the United States of America:
Analysis and Interpretation'' (Constitution Annotated), serving as the
Editor-in-Chief of the 2012 Centennial version of that volume, and he
was the prime architect of the Constitution Annotated website. A public
version of that website, constitution.congress.gov, was launched on
Constitution Day 2019, and in the last 10 months, has had over 500,000
visits and one million page views.
Ken received a B.A. in philosophy from Colby College in 1980 and a
J.D. from The George Washington University in 1983. He worked at the
U.S. Department of Education and as a clerk to Judge Bruce Mencher of
the D.C. Superior Court before joining CRS. Ken has provided exemplary
service to Congress throughout his distinguished career at CRS. I
believe that all in Congress who have benefitted from his expertise and
counsel join me in wishing him the very best in the years to come.
____________________
