[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 101 (Monday, June 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      TRIBUTE TO VALERIE P. COOKE

 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, after 19 years of dedicated 
service to the court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie P. Cooke will be 
retiring on July 31, 2018. I wish to recognize Judge Cooke for her 
excellent service to the Federal judiciary and the State of Nevada 
while serving as U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Nevada since 
1999.
  As a third generation Nevada attorney, Judge Cooke has worked 
diligently to advance communities across Nevada, notably working to 
ensure equal protection under the law for the most vulnerable and 
forgotten populations. Judge Cooke initiated the CLEAR--Court Led 
Efforts at Recovery--court program, Nevada's first Federal reentry 
court, which helps to alleviate the barriers that formerly incarcerated 
individuals face as they attempt to reintegrate into society. She also 
worked to ensure inmates received timely resolutions to their civil 
rights claims by developing the District of Nevada's inmate early 
mediation program and implementing electronic filing for civil rights 
litigation.
  Judge Cooke has also held leadership positions in a number of 
prestigious organizations and committees. Judge Cooke served as the 
2008-2009 president of the Bruce R. Thompson Chapter of the American 
Inns of Court and continues to be active as an emeritus master. Judge 
Cooke was also the president of the Northern Nevada Women Lawyers 
Association in 1990 and was the 2001 recipient of the Outstanding Woman 
Lawyer of the Year Award.
  Prior to her tenure on the bench, Judge Cooke served on the Nevada 
Tax Commission and the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission. She has 
also devoted significant time to the advancement of alternative dispute 
resolution, serving on the Ninth Circuit's alternative dispute 
resolution committee from 2001 until 2013 and chairing the committee 
from 2009 to 2013. She has also conducted educational programs on the 
subject across the country and abroad.
  In addition to her work in public service, Judge Cooke has 
consistently given back to her community. She has served as a mentor 
and as a role model for youth in Nevada through her involvement with 
Big Brothers Big Sisters, which led to her being named the 2009 School-
Based Big Sister of the Year by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern 
Nevada. Judge Cooke conducts annual presentations to elementary through 
high school students on the work of a Federal judge and volunteers her 
time each year to serve as a high school mock trial judge. Judge Cooke 
embodies the Nevada values of leadership, service, and hard work. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in commending Valerie P. Cooke for her many 
years of service to the District of Nevada, the Federal bench, and 
communities across Nevada and the Nation.

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