Eni Faleomavaega: “I thank the gentleman from Virginia, and especially also my dear friend and colleague, the gentleman from North…”

“I thank the gentleman from Virginia, and especially also my dear friend and colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina, as managers of this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6116, a bill to provide for appeals from the Virgin Islands Supreme Court to go to the U.S. Supreme Court instead of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. H.R. 6116, sponsored by my good friend, the gentlelady from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dr. Christensen, simply puts into legislation a decision vetted by the judicial council of the third circuit, established through a process which has already been authorized by Congress. Mr. Speaker, in 1984, Congress provided Guam and the Virgin Islands with the authority to establish local supreme courts, and the law provided for appeals from these courts to go to their respective circuit courts of appeals for the first 15 years unless after 5 years their respective court of appeals found the local supreme court was ready for appeals to go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. On April 18 of this year, the third circuit's judicial council published a 23-page report on the Virgin Islands Supreme Court that was submitted to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and also to the House Committee on Natural Resources.…”