Something rather remarkable happened a couple of Friday’s ago in Bankruptcy Courtroom 5C of the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse in Santa Ana — but almost passed unnoticed. At noon on Friday, November 22, Judge Scott Clarkson held a special session of court commemorating the 50th anniversary of the passing of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The session was attended by about sixty five persons, mainly employees of the Bankruptcy, District and Magistrate courts in Santa Ana. Also present were seven District Court, Magistrate Court and Bankruptcy Court Judges.
During his comments, Judge Clarkson highlighted many of Kennedy’s path-making accomplishments, while emphasizing the brevity of Kennedy’s term in office (only 34 months). Judge Clarkson commented that Kennedy was the first Catholic president and a vigorous champion civil and equal rights. Kennedy supported the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and his agenda prompted President Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy’s successor, to carry forward this legacy by managing the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a sobering aside, Judge Clarkson noted just how close the world was to nuclear war in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and explained how Kennedy’s efforts were instrumental in averting such a major catastrophe. After Judge Clarkson’s opening comments, the court lights dimmed and the audience was treated to a full screening of President Kennedy’s January 20, 1961 inaugural address.
