Bobby Scott: “Mr. Speaker, there is a significant difference in the civil rights exemption in the underlying bill and this amendment.…”

“Mr. Speaker, there is a significant difference in the civil rights exemption in the underlying bill and this amendment. This amendment is vastly superior because it exempts all civil rights cases, not just those cases that are based on new or evolving law. Many of the cases brought under present laws are treated with hostility. Civil rights cases are often unpopular and some judges do not like to see them. In fact, the Alliance For Justice had a report on Judge Pickering's hearing and said, ``At his hearing, Judge Pickering was asked about his record of strongly favoring defendants in employment cases. Incredibly, Judge Pickering defended his record by opining that almost no employment discrimination cases that come before the Federal courts have merit.'' Obviously, the problem is made worse when you expand the possibility to State courts, where local judges in some areas may have a civil bias. That is why the civil rights lawyers oppose the underlying bill because they do not want those kind of judges empowered to essentially allow mandatory sanctions to prevent those kind of cases from being brought in the first place. I would hope that we would adopt the language in the substitute, but we should defeat the bill.”