Zoe Lofgren: “H.R. 908, as the chairman has just outlined, creates a commission to study the structural alternatives for the Federal…”

“H.R. 908, as the chairman has just outlined, creates a commission to study the structural alternatives for the Federal appellate court system. With the expanding caseload in our Federal courts, there is concern throughout the Nation and in the circuits, and nowhere has that concern been greater than in the ninth circuit, composed of my home State of California, as well as the States of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. As the chairman has mentioned, increases in the number of filings in the Federal courts have greatly outpaced the growth in the Federal judiciary and has greatly enlarged the caseload of each judge, often to more than manageable levels. As we approach the next century, I think it is entirely appropriate to examine the structure of the Federal judiciary, and I strongly support this legislation. While it is true that the initial impetus for this bill were proposals to split the ninth circuit, the proposed commission actually has a broader mandate, as the chairman has just outlined, than studying the ninth circuit.”