Legislation passed by the House of Representatives to name the federal courthouse in Wheeling for longtime U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp Jr. deserves the full support of the U.S. Senate. We urge our local senators — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio — to help shepherd this measure through the body and call for bipartisan support for this worthwhile matter.

Stamp, a lifelong Wheeling resident and a 2017 inductee into the Wheeling Hall of Fame, has been a federal judge since receiving his appointment from President George H.W. Bush in 1990. He served in the Northern District of West Virginia until 2006 (he spent from 1994-2001 as the district’s chief judge), at which time he attained senior status. He continued to hear cases at the courthouse in Wheeling through 2018.

U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., introduced the legislation in the House, where it received bipartisan support. On the House floor, McKinley pointed to Stamp’s character in asking for the courthouse to hold his name.

“In West Virginia, Judge Stamp is known for his commitment to service above self,” McKinley said. “… He has been a steadfast and respected pillar of West Virginia.”

Indeed. Judge Stamp has spent his life working to make Wheeling and West Virginia a better place. We again would urge our four senators to do the right thing and not only support this measure, but champion it to their colleagues.

We need to get back to the days when our nation’s leaders worked for the good of all, not just at the whim of their party. Bipartisan support in the Senate of this bill to honor Judge Stamp would be a good step in that direction.