Senate approves bill to name federal courthouse after judge

Friday, July 25, 1997 | 4:58 a.m.

The bill was introduced earlier this week by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Richard Bryan, D-Nev.

George, 67, on the federal bench since 1984, is going on senior status later this year.

Prior to his 1984 appointment by President Ronald Reagan, George was a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge. During his tenure, George, who has served as chief judge of the district, saw a massive increase in Nevada's federal caseload and has been pushing hard for more federal judges here.

"Judge George's record on the bench speaks for itself," Reid said in a news release. "He is one of the finest jurists in the nation and I am delighted my bill honoring him passed so quickly."

Congress has appropriated $97 million for the new courthouse, to be constructed on a site where a Japanese businessman had once planned to build a high-rise office building.

The Minami project stalled years ago, and the land has been sitting vacant.

The new courthouse will replace the outdated and overcrowded Foley Federal Building, and is set to be completed before the end of 2000.

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