[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 23 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       SAY NO TO FOREIGN LAW INFLUENCING AMERICAN COURT DECISIONS

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, George Washington once said that ``history 
and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful 
foes of Republican Government.'' But the United States Supreme Court 
has taken to relying on foreign law and foreign documents when issuing 
opinions.
  This week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution forbids the 
execution of convicted killers who are under the age of 18 when they 
commit their heinous crimes. Many of us might agree with this decision, 
but the court used the laws of other countries and foreign documents to 
determine whether American laws on this should stand.
  American laws are made by the people chosen by Americans to make 
them. That is a republic. The court has no right or authority to 
consider any other basis for legal opinion. In doing so, it only 
undermines the very structure under which it operates, the consent of 
the governed as defined by the United States Constitution.
  Foreign law is still a baneful foe of our republican government.

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