[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1484 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1484

              Entitled the ``Blind Justice Act of 1999''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 4, 1999

  Mr. Specter introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
              Entitled the ``Blind Justice Act of 1999''.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    (a) Short Title.--This act may be cited as the ``Blind Justice Act 
of 1999''.

SEC. 2. ASSIGNMENT OF CASES IN DISTRICT COURT.

    Title 28, United States Code is amended--
            (1) in section 137 as follows:
                    (A) By adding the words, ``Except as provided 
                below,'' at the beginning of the first paragraph.
                    (B) By deleting the words ``and assign the cases'' 
                in the middle of the second paragraph.
                    (C) By inserting the following new paragraphs at 
                the end of the section:
    ``Except as provided below, the chief judge of the district court 
shall assign all cases by means of an automated random assignment 
program provided by the Administrative Office of the United States 
Courts.
    ``Notwithstanding the foregoing, the chief judge of the district 
court may directly assign related cases and technical cases to a 
specific judge without using the automated random assignment program. 
The chief judge may directly assign a related case only to a judge who 
is hearing or has heard a case or cases to which the new case relates. 
The chief judge may directly assign a technical case only to a judge 
who has significant experience with the subject matter at issue.
    ``For purposes of this section, a ``related case'' is a case which 
involves substantially the same facts, individuals, and/or property as 
a case previously or contemporaneously before the court.
    ``For purposes of this section, a ``technical case'' is a case 
which involves specialized, unusually complex facts or subject matter 
and which would demand a significant investment of time for a judge to 
master.''

SEC. 3. ASSIGNMENT OF CASES IN CIRCUIT COURT.

    Title 28, United States Code is amended--
            (1) in section 46 as follows:
                    (A) By adding the words, ``in accordance with the 
                procedures outlined in Section 46(e),'' at the end of 
                Section 46(a).
                    (B) By adding the words ``In accordance with the 
                procedures outlined in Section 46(a)'' at the beginning 
                of Section 46(b).
                    (C) By inserting the following new Section 46(e) at 
                the end of the section:
    ``Except as provided below, the chief judge of the circuit court 
shall assign all cases by means of an automated random assignment 
program provided by the Administrative Office of the United States 
Courts.
    ``Notwithstanding the foregoing, the chief judge of the circuit 
court may directly assign related cases and technical cases to a 
specific judge or judges without using the automated random assignment 
program. The chief judge may directly assign a related case only to a 
judge or judges who are hearing or have heard a case or cases to which 
the new case relates. The chief judge may directly assign a technical 
case only to a judge or judges who have significant experience with the 
subject matter at issue.
    ``For purposes of this section, a ``related case'' is a case which 
involves substantially the same facts, individuals, and/or property as 
a case previously or contemporaneously before the court.
    ``For purposes of this section, a ``technical case'' is a case 
which involves specialized, unusually complex facts or subject matter 
and which would demand a significant investment of time for a judge to 
master.''
                                 <all>