Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2655, the so-called Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act. Unfortunately, rather than reduce abusive litigation, this bill will have just the opposite effect. We don't need to speculate about the disastrous effect of this legislation because we know from experience just what a fiasco it will be. The rule this legislation would restore was in effect from 1983 until 1993. It was a disaster. After a decade with this rule, the Judicial Conference, the rulemaking body for the Federal judiciary, rightly rejected it in favor of the rule we have today. In fact, this legislation goes even beyond the text of the 1983 rule, broadening the flawed mandatory sanctions even further. Worse still, the Judiciary Committee has not made even the pretense of considering this very radical change in civil procedure with any care. In fact, no hearings have been held on this legislation in this Congress. The process, or lack of it, demonstrates the wisdom of the Rules Enabling Act, in which Congress gave the Judicial Conference the responsibility for reviewing court rules and proposing changes. They have done this job admirably, expending years of careful study to existing rules, how they are functioning, and the implications of any proposed changes. While the sponsor has expressed the desire to limit unnecessary litigation, the experience with the old rule 11, which this bill would restore, was the exact opposite.…”