OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Divisional Realignment Act of 2012

Floor Speech

Date: May 30, 2012
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Elections

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of H.R. 5512, the Divisional Realignment Act of 2012, as amended.

This noncontroversial measure, which the Judiciary Committee ordered reported by voice vote, simply reorganizes divisions within the two Federal judicial districts, namely the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Mississippi. I hope I pronounced ``Missourah'' correctly. Some say ``Missourah,'' some say ``Missouri.'' I'll stick with ``Missourah'' right now--I'm feeling kind of down home.

This divisional realignment is being done at the request of these two districts to improve judicial administration and access to court for jurors and litigants. These proposals were formally adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States on March 13, 2012, and transmitted to the House Judiciary Committee.

According to the Judicial Conference, these changes are supported by the judicial councils of the circuits in which these districts are located, as well as the United States Attorneys for the affected districts.

Under H.R. 5512, two counties in the Eastern District of Missouri will be shifted from its Eastern Division to its Southeastern Division. The bill also eliminates one of the four divisions within the Northern District of Mississippi and reallocates the counties within the eliminated division among the remaining three divisions.

The Members whose districts would be affected by these divisional changes--that being Representatives Bennie Thompson, Gregg Harper, Alan Nunnelee, Jo Ann Emerson, and Russ Carnahan--have all sponsored or cosponsored this bill. In deference to these Members' familiarity with local conditions, therefore, we do not oppose these changes.

We have made one revision to H.R. 5512 at the request of the Judicial Conference. To give the judges in the two affected districts some additional time to implement the bill's new divisional realignments, the version of the bill that we are considering today includes a 60-day delayed effective date.

I thank Chairman Lamar Smith and Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble for their assistance in moving this bipartisan legislation that should improve the administration of justice in these judicial districts.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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