[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5885-S5886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BAYH (for himself and Mr. Lugar):
  S. 2794. A bill to provide for a temporary Federal district judgeship 
for

[[Page S5886]]

the southern district of Indiana; to the Committee on the Judiciary.


                TEMPORARY JUDGESHIP FOR SOUTHERN INDIANA

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I rise today with Senator Richard Lugar to 
introduce the Southern District of Indiana Temporary Judgeship Act. 
This legislation creates an additional temporary judgeship for the 
Southern District of Indiana to help alleviate the strain experienced 
over the past five years as a result of an extremely heavy caseload.
  In the last year alone, the Southern District has seen a higher than 
average number of case filings with 585 filings per judge, compared to 
the national average of 493 filings per judge. The Federal Bureau of 
Prisons ``Death Row'' has recently been located at the United States 
Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, which is part of the Southern 
District. As a result, the Southern District anticipates a significant 
increase in the number of petitions in death habeas cases. In addition, 
the Southern District of Indiana includes our state capital of 
Indianapolis, the center of government and politics in the Hoosier 
State. The court has experienced an increase in the number of cases 
which raise political and public policy questions. The Southern 
District court is clearly overburdened.
  The legislation I introduce today is critical to ensuring the 
delivery of Justice in the Southern District of Indiana. There is wide 
agreement about the need for this additional judgeship and, in fact, 
the Judicial Conference has called on Congress to add a temporary 
judge. I urge my colleagues to give this legislation their serious 
consideration and support. I thank the President and I yield the floor.
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