Sandra Day O'Connor [automatically transcribed, may contain inaccuracies]
Thank you so much, Mr. Anderson. And Acting Deputy Administrator bib and Mr. Kiss Delaney and my friend Bill IV. Now, they've already said everything I was going to say to you. So I'm a little bit of trouble. You know, there are about 370 federal courthouses in the United States. And there have been, as I count them, about 60 funding requests for new federal courthouse construction, actually approved by Congress in the brief period from 1986 to 2001. That's a lot of courthouses, when you think they're only 370 to begin with. And those funding requests total, by my calculation, about 501 million or half a billion dollars. Each of these projects has required architectural engineering, design, and other construction expertise, expertise of all kinds, which will be recognized today. I don't know about you, I'm not talking to the architects now, because you probably already think this. But I place a very high value on architectural services. I care about my surroundings, whether it's my home, or where I work, I feel better, and I work better. If I'm in a place that I think is handsome, and that I enjoy, it makes a real difference to me. I suspect it makes a real difference to everybody. And I think that good design matters in courthouses and elsewhere. It must, of course, accommodate the basic functional needs of the structure in a courthouse, that means court rooms. And I have to say they're pretty know by and large these days, maybe you can figure out something a little more attractive than the court rooms. They have to have offices are all the staff and the judges, jury rooms, detention rooms for prisoners, library space, and so on. But there's also a real need for aesthetic considerations for beauty, and for majesty. And the federal courts play really a vital role in our nation.

The very first act passed by Congress after the ratification of our constitution created a federal court system. And these federal courts have been people, by and large by a highly qualified and respected group of judges through the years. I think it's hard to overemphasize the important role of federal courts in our nation. It's very fitting that federal courts be housed in spaces designed to reflect the significance of that role. And to the sense that justice center nation is open and available to all. I'm greatly honored and indeed humbled by the fact that one of the recent new federal courthouses, as you've heard, the one in Phoenix, Arizona, bears my name. Now, normally, to have a federal building bear your name, you have to either pay for it or be dead. I didn't pay for it. And I'm still kicking around. But that courthouse in Phoenix, is a structure that gives the visitor the impression of openness, of access to justice, of light, and a tranquil space in which to resolve the sometimes very difficult and very contentious issues that come up in our courts. It does something else that's very unusual for a courthouse.

There's this large public space, as Bill IV mentioned, where the public enters the building. Now that space, which can accommodate a group of 2000 people or so I think, is going to be available for community users and indeed, already has been, and gatherings. That is a new concept for the federal courts. I know of no other such instance. So it's integrated in that community, that huge community and Phoenix these days in a very different way. And I'm very happy that that courthouse, bears my name, is receiving an award today, because it confirms my own initial impression, before it was even completed. One reason for this successful design, I think of that building was the very close cooperation between the architects including Richard Meyer, who's here today, and the judges who will occupy the building. Chief Judge, Robert Broomfield is here today as well. I think, Chief Judge Broomfield spent as much time as Richard Meier did on the details of the building. And they worked so well together and have produced something that is special. I think that kind of close cooperation is probably not required by the GSA. But I think that produces the best results in the long run. In most instances, good architecture always has to take into account and in detail, the uses and the needs of those who are going to occupy the space. The recent burst of courthouse construction is not over. There are many other requests in the pipeline.

I hope all the new facilities will give attention not only to the space requirements and the needs, but to the aesthetic needs, as well, to the impression given to all who enter I think will be better satisfied as a nation, if we can look with pride at the public, at the buildings constructed with public funds, and know that those buildings are functional, as well as handsome that they contribute to the appearance of the city in which they're located. And the uses of the community itself. GSA doesn't have an easy job, as I see it. It has to try to keep costs reasonable. It has to satisfy members of Congress. It has to satisfy the occupants and the users of the building. And we're very used to complaining about the GSA, you know. So that's hard to overcome. And it has to make use of architectural engineering and construction talent across the country. I can't just get a first rate team and use them everywhere. And all of these are tough tasks for their GSA. But I have this sense that we've seen since the 1986 startup, this construction burst, a new focus and a new determination to create something beautiful, as well as useful and inspiring. I congratulate you for that effort. And I wish you good luck on all the future projects. Thank you.