Political Quotes

“I supported the habeas corpus provision reported by the Judiciary Committee. I think it strikes a fair balance between streamlining the process and ensuring fairness. But I also support the Derrick amendment. It is tougher than the committee bill, but it also strikes a fair balance. Habeas corpus is an essential part of our criminal justice system. If our Bill of Rights is to mean anything, we simply must preserve the Great Writ. What convinces me is that the Federal habeas courts have found serious constitutional error in a full 40 percent of State death penalty cases. This is simply no time to be unduly cutting back on habeas corpus. At the same time, however, the system is plagued by delays and other abuses. The Derrick amendment gets rid of these abuses, by imposing a short statute of limitations for filing petitions, by virtually eliminating multiple petitions, and by getting rid of the procedural technicalities that bog down the courts and delay finality. The Derrick amendment preserves the Great Writ, and I support that. But it also streamlines and expedites the process. I support that too. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina.”