Senate Passes Bill Naming Courthouse for Slain Judge

The Senate Tuesday night passed a measure naming a new courthouse after the federal judge who was killed last month during the Tucson shooting rampage.

Construction on what will now be called the John M. Roll United States Courthouse in Yuma, Arizona will start later this year.

The bill was introduced by Arizona's two senators less than a week after the shooting.

The Senate vote was unanimous.

"We had the privilege and honor of knowing and working with Chief Judge Roll for many years," Republican Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl said in a joint statement announcing the bill. "He was known for his fairness to all who appeared before him in his courtroom, both plaintiffs and defendants."

The senators praised Roll's service on the federal bench and said naming the courthouse in his honor is "befitting the rich legacy he leaves behind."