Judiciary

April 19, 2007 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today fought back an effort to split the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) had offered an amendment to the Court Security Bill that would have split the Ninth Circuit. Senator Feinstein raised a budget point of order to the Ensign amendment because it would have increased federal outlays without providing any offset. The point of order was sustained, and the amendment fell.    » read more »

April 19, 2007 -- Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada today hailed the passage of the Court House Security Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill that will strengthen courthouse security and offer greater protection for judges and their families.    » read more »

April 19th, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member, Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), was joined by his colleagues in unanimously passing S. 378, the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007. The legislation, of which he and Senator Leahy are original cosponsors, seeks to improve security in our nation’s courts.    » read more »

One of the first acts of the new Congress was to establish a Federal court system through the Judiciary Act signed by President Washington on September 24, 1789.

The founders of the new nation believed that the establishment of a national judiciary was one of their most important tasks. Yet Article III of the Constitution of the United States, the provision that deals with the judiciary branch of government, is markedly smaller than Articles I and II, which created the legislative and executive branches.    » read more »