IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 185 
Honoring Johnnie Cochran, Jr. for his service to the Nation, and expressing 
condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and admirers on his death. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 5, 2005 
Ms. WATERS (for herself, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michi-
gan, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. HONDA, Ms. CORRINE 
BROWN of Florida, Ms. CARSON, Mr. OWENS, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, 
Ms. WATSON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. SCOTT of 
Virginia, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
FATTAH, Mr. CLAY, Ms. LEE, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, 
Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. 
WATT, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. WYNN, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. 
CONYERS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. MILLENDER- 
MCDONALD, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. MCKINNEY, and Mr. DAVIS of Illinois) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring Johnnie Cochran, Jr. for his service to the Nation, 
and expressing condolences to his family, friends, col-
leagues, and admirers on his death. 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., was born Oct. 2, 1937, in 
Shreveport, Louisiana, the great-grandson of slaves, the 
grandson of a sharecropper and the son of an insurance 
salesman;
•HRES 185 IH 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., came to Los Angeles, Cali-
fornia, with his family in 1949, and became one of two 
dozen black students integrated into Los Angeles High 
School in the 1950s; 
Whereas, until his death from a brain tumor on March 29, 
2005, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., was an extraordinary human 
being and a trial lawyer of exceptional ability; 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., earned an undergraduate de-
gree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 
1959 and a law degree from Loyola Marymount Univer-
sity in Los Angeles in 1962; 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., began his legal career in 
1963, spending two years practicing law in the Los Ange-
les City Attorney’s office; 
Whereas, for five years from 1978 to 1983, Johnnie Cochran, 
Jr., again worked as a prosecutor, serving as an Assist-
ant District Attorney in the Los Angeles County Attor-
ney’s Office; 
Whereas, upon leaving the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, 
Johnnie Cochran, Jr., started his own law firm where, for 
a period spanning a total of over 35 years, he brought 
his tremendous analytical and oratorical skills to both 
criminal defense work and civil cases, including civil 
rights, contracts, environmental justice, and personal in-
jury cases, on behalf of all kinds of clients, from the fa-
mous and powerful to the unknown and the voiceless; 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., dedicated his life and his 
legal career, often on a pro bono basis, to advancing the 
cause of equal access to justice for all persons regardless 
of their station in life, to overcoming unfairness and po-
lice brutality in the criminal justice system, and to ensur-
•HRES 185 IH 
ing equal opportunities in all walks of life for persons of 
color; 
Whereas, with all of his many achievements, Johnnie Coch-
ran, Jr., called ‘‘. . . the happiest day of my life prac-
ticing law . . .’’, the day in 1997 when his tireless, tena-
cious efforts helped to secure the release of his client, 
Elmer ‘‘Geronimo’’ Pratt, who spent 27 years in prison 
for a crime that he didn’t commit; 
Whereas, through a lifetime of dedicated service, personal in-
tegrity, and professional excellence, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., 
set an example and became a role model for many aspir-
ing African-American professionals and other profes-
sionals throughout America; 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr.’s tremendous successes as a 
trial lawyer practicing on a world stage caused many peo-
ple to view the abilities of minority professionals more 
positively; 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran Jr.’s pioneering work as a lawyer 
helped to open the door to many more ‘‘first-chair’’ op-
portunities for minority lawyers and other professionals; 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., was a widely-known and ad-
mired person whose fame caused him to be mentioned, 
and also often parodied, in many television shows and 
movies; and 
Whereas Johnnie Cochran, Jr., also was a best-selling author, 
a successful television host and legal commentator, a 
highly sought-after public speaker, and a philanthropist 
whose generosity helped fund a University of California 
at Los Angeles scholarship, a low-income housing com-
plex, and a New Jersey legal academy, among many 
other charitable endeavors: Now, therefore, be it
•HRES 185 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) honors Johnnie Cochran, Jr., for his service 
to the Nation, his pioneering work as a lawyer, au-
thor, TV commentator, and philanthropist, and his 
personal integrity and professional excellence; and 
(2) expresses its deepest condolences to his 
family, friends, colleagues, and admirers. 
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