HR 421 — Celebrating the life of the Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr.

SESSION INTRODUCEDENROLLED 24108844D I HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.

421 OfferedE March 7, 2024 N Celebrating the life of the Honorable Arthur L.

TN Patron––Cole R ––––––––––Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2024 WHEREAS, the Honorable Arthur L.

Burnett, Sr., a trailblazing jurist who broke down racial barriers O over the course of his exceptional career, which included judicial appointments from multiple UDitedUnited L States presidents, died on November 20, 2023;

and L WHEREAS, Arthur Burnett was born in Spotsylvania County and grew up during the Jim Crow era;Uera; he graduated summa cum laude from Howard University and had been tapped by Thurgood Marshall toC attempt to integrate the University of Virginia School of Law, but ultimately attended the New York the top 10 percent of his class;

andompletedhe graduated summa cum laude from Howard University and had been tapped by Thurgood Marshall to E University School of Law, where he completed seven years of coursework in six years and graduatEdgraduated in WHEREAS,D Arthur Burnett was accepted into the Attorneytop General's10 Honorspercent Programof athis theclass; U.S.

Dand DepartmentWHEREAS, ofArthur Justice,Burnett but was draftedaccepted andinto served the nationAttorney asGeneral's aHonors memberProgram ofat the militaryU.S. for several years;

Department of Justice, but was drafted and served the nation as a member of the military for several years;

Kennedy, reporting on significant developments in the civil rights movement, and later became the first general counsel to the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia;

andandbecame the first general WHEREAS, in 1969, at the age of 34, Arthur Burnett was appointed as a United States Magistrate, H becoming the first Black American appointed as a magistrate judge in the nation;

he oversaw numerous R reforms to the judicial system, such as strengthening the quality of arrest and search warrants issued by 1 federal magistrates and reevaluating bail processes;

ande quality of arrest and searchR warrants issued by WHEREAS, in 1975, Arthur Burnett became the assistant general counsel in charge of the LegalR Advisory Division of what was then the United States Civil Service Commission to act on harmoni2ingharmonizing the affirmative action and merit systems;

and 1 WHEREAS, after President Jimmy Carter established a major initiative to revise the Federal Civil System, Arthur Burnett was assigned to work with the White House Counsel's Office and was the principal drafter of the legislation that became the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, leading to the creationRelations ofAuthority, and the Office of PersonnelSpecial Management,Counsel the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Federal Labor RelWHEREAS, in January 1980, Arthur Burnett was again appointed to andeal eight-yearwith termHatch asAct aallegations; United States Magistrate in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where he served until he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in November 1987;

heandl beganLabor servingWHEREAS, in January 1980, Arthur Burnett was again appointed to an eight-year term as a seniorUnited judgeStates Magistrate in 1998the andUnited continuedStates activelyDistrict hearingCourt casesfor the District of Columbia, where he served until :he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in November 1987;

35he 2004;began serving as a senior judge in 1998 and continued actively hearing cases until 200WHEREAS, while retaining his status as a senior judge, Arthur Burnett took a sabbatical in 2004 and assumed the position of national executive director of the National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc., in which capacity he advocated for equity in drug policy enforcement and later became one of the leading advisors on drug policy matters to the Obama administration;

and 36 WHEREAS, while retaining his status as a senior judge, Arthur Burnett took a sabbatical in 2004 / 37 and assumed the position of national executive director of the National African American Drug Policy 38 Coalition, Inc., in which capacity he advocated for equity in drug policy enforcement and later became oneWHEREAS, over the course of his legal career, Arthur Burnett also visited and consulted with foreign judges aroundabout the worldlegal and servedjudicial assystems aof briefing judge for the U.S.United States;

Departmentandt of State, advising foreignWHEREAS, judgesArthur aboutBurnett inspired young men and women in the legal field as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at the Howard University School of Law and judicialas systemsan adjunct professor at the Columbus School of Law at the UnitedCatholic States;University of America;

and WHEREAS, Arthur Burnett inspiredofficially youngretired menfrom and women in the legalSuperior fieldCourt asof an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at the HowardDistrict University School of LawColumbia andon asFebWHEREAS, anamong adjunctcountless professorawards atand theaccolades Columbusfor Schoolhis ofpersonal Lawand atprofessional theachievements,on; Catholic University of America;

and WHEREAS, Arthur Burnett officially retired from the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on February 15, 2013, having served the nation with the utmost integrity, dedication, and distinction;

and WHEREAS, Arthur Burnett will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 63 years, Frisbieann;numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues;

hisnow, children,therefore, Darnellena,be Arthuritand II, Daryl, Darlisa, and Dionne, and their families;

and numerousRESOLVED, otherThat familythe members,House friends,of andDelegates colleagues;hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Arthur L.

now,Burnett, therefore,Sr., bean itesteemed RESOLVED,former Thatjudge of the HouseSuperior Court of Delegatesthe herebyDistrict noteof withColumbia greatwho sadnesstouched thecountless losslives ofover the Honorablecourse Arthurof L.his incomparable career;

Burnett,and, Sr.,be anit esteemedRESOLVED former judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia who touRESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution HR421 2 of 2 for presentation to the family of the Honorable Arthur L.

Burnett, Sr., as an expression of the House of of 2 Delegates' respect for his memory.