Charles T. Canady: “Occasionally we agree with the Judicial Conference. The Judicial Conference has looked at this, and they have decided…”

“Occasionally we agree with the Judicial Conference. The Judicial Conference has looked at this, and they have decided that there is no compelling need for a change in the rule. Another point that I think we should consider is that the sort of public matters and settlements by government agencies that the gentleman is concerned about are subject to ongoing oversight by the Congress of the United States. I think that that is an appropriate area for us to be involved, and I believe that to the extent that there may be problems with respect to settlements that are entered into by government agencies, it is our responsibility in the Congress to conduct oversight with respect to those matters. I believe that that avenue of bringing public scrutiny to settlements is a valuable check on potential abuses in this area. So for all of these reasons I would urge the Members of the House to reject the gentleman's amendment.”