Political Quotes

“I am strongly in support of H.R. 908. It was reported unanimously by the Committee on the Judiciary and addresses in a comprehensive manner and in a bipartisan manner some of the concerns that exist about the Federal court system. This bill creates a Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals. In 1990, the Federal Courts Study Committee that had been created by statute in 1988 concluded the appellate courts were experiencing a crisis of volume. The study committee expressed the view that-- Within as few as 5 years, the Nation would have to decide whether or not to abandon the present circuit structure in favor of an alternative structure that might better organize the more numerous appellate judges needed to grapple with the swollen caseload. The proposed commission would thus take up where the Federal Court Study Committee left off. It is important to note that recent statistics reflect the fact that in fiscal 1996, the number of appeals filed in the 12 regional courts of appeals rose 4 percent to 51,991. This is an all-time high in filings, with eight circuits reporting increases.”