Political Quotes

“I support the amendment today, not because I oppose racial justice or believe that our Nation's judicial system is free of racial bias. To the contrary, I concur with Chairman Biden that inequities in the present system can and must be redressed. After much thought about the specific provisions of the House crime bill, however, I found myself in agreement with California's attorney general and all 58 of the State's district attorneys. If adopted as written, the House bill creates a grave risk of introducing even greater delay in capital cases than that now occasioned by abuse of habeas corpus proceedings. Moreover, I am acutely aware of the problems that retroactive application of the House measure would cause in California and elsewhere. While an informal agreement to alter that part of the Racial Justice Act reportedly has been struck, I feel it important to indicate my strong opposition to retroactivity. My vote in support of the amendment before us should be taken as such.”