HONORING JUDGE ANDREW CARRUTHERS

HONORING JUDGE ANDREW CARRUTHERS

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 6 (Monday, January 13, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 6 (Monday, January 13, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E17-E18] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING JUDGE ANDREW CARRUTHERS ______ HON. JOAQUIN CASTRO of texas in the house of representatives Monday, January 13, 2025 Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Judge Andrew Carruthers as he retires from the bench after more than half a century as a distinguished legal advocate and public servant. Judge Carruthers was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1945. His father, a minister, tended to a congregation of more than 600 worshippers at St. Andrew's Methodist Church, which was the largest Black Methodist church in Fort Worth. Despite the discrimination and segregation facing Black families, the young Carruthers children were surrounded by teachers, nurses, entrepreneurs, and other community leaders, leaving them with no shortage of role models. In 1957, his father accepted an appointment to become pastor of St. Paul Methodist Church in San Antonio. The new congregation was warm and welcoming, and San Antonio quickly became home for the Carruthers family. Judge Carruthers graduated from Cuney Elementary School, Frederick Douglass Junior High, and Highlands High School, where he played in the band and ran cross-country and track. [[Page E18]] After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969, Judge Carruthers became a program representative for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, where he tended to Houston's neediest people. Shortly, after, he enrolled in law school at Texas Southern University and later attended St. Mary's University, where he supported himself as a bailiff for District Judge James E. Barlow of the 186th District. After passing the bar exam, Judge Carruthers began his legal career, working first as an Assistant District Attorney in Bexar County and later for then-Texas Attorney General John Hill. He was then hired as a professor at Thurgood Marshall Law School, where he taught for eight years. In 1982, Judge Carruthers returned to San Antonio and opened the Law Offices of Carruthers and Cunningham with his wife, Willie. Their son, Andrew C. Carruthers was born in 1983. Judge Cunningham is also blessed with two daughters, Aloyce Williams and Tammye Turner. In 1989, Judge Carruthers was appointed Criminal Law Magistrate of Bexar County, a position that he would hold for the next 35 years. During his time as Criminal Law Magistrate, Judge Carruthers worked to advance the court's understanding of what it means to be competent to stand trial. This work is reflected in his presentations at legal conferences and the expansion of Bexar County's competency and sanity evaluation programs. Today, because of Judge Carruthers' leadership and innovation, the court now offers inpatient, outpatient and jail-based restoration programs for individuals with mental illnesses, and community based and residential care programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The dedication Judge Carruthers has demonstrated for the last 52 years has been instrumental for local judicial programs. His work has aided many and will continue to help individuals seeking assistance. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to express my gratitude for Judge Andrew Carruthers as he celebrates his retirement. ____________________