Consolidation of Certain Divisions in the Northern District of Alabama

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7177, which would amend title 28 of the United States Code to consolidate certain divisions in the Northern District of Alabama. By reducing the divisions of the Northern District of Alabama from seven to five and reorganizing some Alabama counties within those divisions, this bill reallocates the judicial docket across the district, ensuring that the 2.8 million residents of the Northern District of Alabama have access to a speedy judicial system.

When a courthouse closes, we may not hear about it here in our Nation's Capital, but the people who live and work in those judicial districts are intimately aware of the deleterious effect of courthouse closures on their community: Office workers lose their jobs. Other nearby courthouses become overcrowded, and thousands of people are left wondering if our judicial system will still work for them when they need it most.

That is exactly what is happening in the Northern District of Alabama. After courthouses closed, the district itself requested these changes, which were elevated to Congress by the Judicial Conference of the United States earlier this year. These changes prescribed in this legislation are not meaningless, technical edits. Moving some Alabama counties to different judicial divisions would make a world of difference to the people who live and work in those communities.

About 59 percent of the population of Alabama lives in the Northern District, which includes 31 of the State's 67 counties, and 2 of the State's most populous cities, Birmingham and Huntsville. Since so many Americans rely on the Northern District of Alabama to access our courthouse doors, the judicial system there must be able to spread a large volume of cases across its different divisions.

This is not a question of apportionment. Our country cannot have a flourishing justice system when residents are unduly burdened in their attempts to access it.

Madam Speaker, I thank the Representatives from Alabama, especially the sponsor, Congressman Strong, for introducing this legislation, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support the bill.

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purposes of closing.

Madam Speaker, by reallocating the judicial docket across the district, this bill ensures that 2.8 million residents of the Northern District of Alabama have access to a speedy judicial system. In a Nation such as ours, where the population is constantly evolving, our judicial system must be responsive to the needs of residents no matter where they live.

Constituents in different divisions of the Northern District of Alabama deserve a courthouse that is geographically convenient so that they do not have to drive hours away from home to access the American judicial system.

Responding to the needs of these residents is a small step in the right direction toward making our judicial system work for everyone, not just those who are fortunate enough to live close to a Federal courthouse in a metropolis.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the bill and send it to the Senate, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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