[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H3480-H3481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE NEED TO FUND FEDERAL JUDGESHIPS IN MIDDLE FLORIDA

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I want to make my colleagues aware of a 
crisis existing in the middle district of Florida. The current Federal 
case load is one of the worst in the country. The population continues 
to increase. If no additional judgeships are approved, by 2005 there 
will be only one-third of the State's Federal judges assigned to two-
thirds of the State's population.
  As case loads increase, current judges cannot simply shoulder the 
additional burden. By failing to create additional positions, we are 
producing a backlog of cases, increasing legal costs for citizens and 
undermining the Federal courts.
  Lately much attention has been focused on getting tough on crime. We 
must remember the only path from indictment to incarceration is through 
the judiciary. It must receive adequate

[[Page H3481]]

resources, otherwise the process is brought to an absolute standstill.
  Only judges can exercise judicial power. There is no substitute. I 
urge my colleagues to fill and fund these vacancies and provide much 
needed help to judges, not only in Florida but across this Nation.

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