Mike Thompson: “we are now engaged in a national debate on an issue that is important to the future of this country. The issue before us…”

“we are now engaged in a national debate on an issue that is important to the future of this country. The issue before us essentially is should the U.S. Congress federalize certain portions of our judicial system that, up until now, have been under the province of the States? And, if so, should we make major changes or more modest ones? I cannot think of a more important subject for us to consider than our system of justice. The judicial system is a bedrock of our free society. It must be fair. It must be perceived to be fair. Our citizens must have confidence in it. As we continue our deliberations, we must do so with the purpose in mind of striving for a system that is most likely to achieve justice in most cases. It is serious business, and our decisions should not depend upon whose favorite ox is being gored at the moment. At the outset, I must say that we could do this process a service by refocusing the terms of this debate.”