2013-042 Requesting our US Senators to forward to President Obama a bi-partisan slate of qualified judicial nominees to fill the vacant federal judge position in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division with preferenc

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Congressional Record, Volume 149 Issue 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003) Page 7 of 8 I have never opposed Plano having a court. It is a huge city. It is a great city. It is a growing city. And as we move along with this 50 -50 agreement and Plano grows, as it surely will, they will need more judges and more courts there. I certainly hope to help them. For several years, efforts have been made to hold court proceedings in Plano, Texas where they have had no [[Page H11589)] court proceedings. I have no objection to such, and I only want to continud holding- court-in Sherman, Texas. Agreements have been made to hold 50-percent of the cases in Plano and 50 percent in Sherman, adding some counties to the Sherman district. I only'want this agreement to be part of the proceedings, and I will be asking for a colloquy an a little bit with the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner). I have conferred with TUdge'NoG.raw of- Grayson County. I have xeceived petitions from Judge McGraw and many of the major cities in and around Grayson County.. I represent them. If I do not represent them, they will 49t be represented in this inatter, and I want to be recorded here and n6W that we want an agreement of a 50 -50 division of litigation to be committed to writing, both here and in the -Senate. 2 have spoken with Senator John-Cornyn then of the Committee on the Judiciary, and I have spoken with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, subcommittee chairman, and they too want this documentation. There has been a difference of opinion as to whether or not it would be codified into the statute itself, and while this Will not have that codification, there will be report language that will be with this bill, and 1. think will be evidence to people within -the next 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 years that we still Want-a court in Sherman, Texas in Grayson County. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornya want Grayson County protected on the 50 -50 agreement and, accordingly, they are placing proper report language in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary report to be placed with the passage of Senate bill 1720. So Mr. Speaker, first, let me place in the Record the statement of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the ranking member on the Committee on the Judiciary. I also want to engage in a colloquy with my colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Senserbrenner). I again thank the chairman on S. 1720, a bill to provide for the Federal court proceedings in Plano, Texas. It is my understanding that we have reached an agreement with Members on both sides of the aisle and with Senators Carnyn and Hutchison that the passage of this legislation shall be accompanied by the following report language in the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations bill that would indicate a sense of Congress as follows: Both Sherman and Plano shall have a resident United States District Judge. Fifty ,percent of the cases filed in of transferred to the Sherman Aivision. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas shall be assigned for trial and tried in Sherman by either the -resident United States District Judge sitting in Sherman or another United States District Judge assigned to hold court in Sherman. The remaining 50 percent of the cases shall be assigned for trial and tried in Plano by either the resident United States District Judge sitting in Plano or another United States District Judge assigned to hold court in Plano. If the resident judge In Sherman or d?lano retires or dies, 50 percent of the panes shill contipue to be tried in Sherman and•50 percent tried in Plano while a new resident judge is being assigned. This provision shall not prevent the transfer of a case to another judge or division of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas or another United States District Court for trial, if such transfer is permitted by applicable law." Mr. Speaker, I have long expressed my support and I have no objection to a Plano district court. The people in Plano are entitled to a court http : / /Www.,apo.gov/fdsys /Pkg/CREC- 2003- 11- 19/bt:zl /CREC- 2003- 11- 19- ptl- PgH11586... 9120/2013