Court Splitting Amendment a Partisan Exercise to Distract from Republican Record of Failure

Pelosi: Court Splitting Amendment a Partisan Exercise to Distract from Republican Record of Failure

Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in opposition to a Republican proposal to split the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, into three Circuits. The Republican court splitting amendment, offered by Congressman Michael Simpson (R-ID) was adopted by a vote of 205 to 194:

"Today's action is the latest in a series of attacks against an independent federal judiciary for partisan purposes. The Republicans hijacked a much needed and non-controversial judgeship bill that would have provided for additional judges across the country. At the expense of a functioning judiciary, the Republicans once again sought to score cheap political points for their base.

"On the merits, there is no justification for the court splitting proposal. Judging by number of cases upheld on appeal at the Supreme Court, number of cases handled yearly, and timeliness of decisions, the Ninth Circuit compares well with other Circuits.

"The court splitting proposal is the continuation of a decade-long reaction by Republicans to rulings that protected civil rights, women's right to choose, and the environment. This impractical and politically-motivated proposal has no prospects of success in the Senate. It is a partisan exercise to distract the American people from the Republicans' miserable record of failure."