D.C. Supreme Court : hearing and markup before the Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education and the Committee on the District of Columbia, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, first session, on H.R. 1633, to create a Supreme Court for the

394 Pages·1993·10.6 MB·English

by  United States. Congress. House. Committee on the District of Columbia. Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education

D.C. SUPREME COURT
Y 4.0 63/1:103-4
MARKUP
D.C. Suprene Court, Serial Ho. 103-...
BUJ-UKETHE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY AND EDUCATION
ANDTHE
COMMITTEE ON
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
H.R. 1633
TO CREATE A SUPREME COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
APRIL 28, AND JUNE 9, 1993
Serial No. 103-4
Printed for the use ofthe
Committee on the District ofColumbia
""tflWto*,
Dec
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ^''WPjIIV^^fr/lft-
68-552ts WASHINGTON : 1993 ^QTiir
ForsalebytheU.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice
SuperintendentofDocuments,CongressionalSalesOffice,Washington.DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-041649-3

D.C. SUPREME COURT
Y 4.0 63/1:103-4
MARKUP
D.C. Suprene Court, Serial Ho. 103-...
ttUVUKKTHE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY AND EDUCATION
ANDTHE
COMMITTEE ON
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
H.R. 1633
TO CREATE A SUPREME COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
APRIL 28, AND JUNE 9, 1993
Serial No. 103-4
Printed for the use ofthe
Committee on the District ofColumbia
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ^""dlfTr ^ftWft
68-552*=; WASHINGTON :1993 "^OTffr-,..
ForsalebytheU.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice
SuperintendentofDocuments.CongressionalSalesOffice.Washington.DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-041649-3
COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
FORTNEYPETESTARK,California, Chairman
RONALDV. DELLUMS,California THOMASJ. BLILEY,Jr., Virginia
ALAND. WHEAT,Missouri DANAROHRABACHER,California
JIMMcDERMOTT,Washington JIMSAXTON,NewJersey
ELEANORHOLMESNORTON,Districtof CASSBALLENGER,NorthCarolina
Columbia
JOHNLEWIS,Georgia
WILLIAMJ.JEFFERSON,Louisiana
BroderickD.Johnson,StaffDirector
DennisG. Smith,MinorityStaffDirector
Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education,
ELEANORHOLMESNORTON,DistrictofColumbia, Chairman
JOHNLEWIS,Georgia DANAROHRABACHER,California
FORTNEYPETESTARK,California CASSBALLENGER,NorthCarolina
RONALDV. DELLUMS,California
JIMMcDERMOTT,Washington
(ID
CONTENTS
Page
Staffsummaryoffindingsandconclusions (v)
H.R. 1633 (by Ms. Norton) to create a Supreme Court for the District of
Columbia 2
HEARING AND MARKUPS
Subcommitteehearing(H.R. 1633),April28,1993 1-173
Fullcommitteemarkup(H.R. 1633),June9, 1993 175-259
STATEMENTS
Bliley,Hon.ThomasJ.,Jr 185
Preparedstatementstoamendmentsoffered 202,209,227,236,245
PreparedstatementH.R. 1633 261
PreparedclosingstatementH.R. 1633 263
Norton,EleanorHolmes 37,49,176
Payton,John,corporationcounsel,DistrictofColumbia,preparedstatement... 38
Stark,Hon.FortneyPete 175
Rogers, Hon. Judith W., chiefjudge, D.C. Court of Appeals; Hon. Fred B.
Ugast, chiefjudge, D.C. Superior Court; Hon. John W. Kern III, senior
judge, D.C. Court of Appeals; Alan I. Herman, Esq., former clerk of the
court,D.C.CourtofAppeals;andJohnPayton,corporationcounsel:
HKeerrnm,anH,onA.lJaonhIn.,WE.sqIll 115424
PreparedstatemeWntwithattachment 147
Rogers,Hon.Judith 51
Preparedstatementwithattachments 57
Rohrabacher,Hon.Dana,preparedstatement 190
Saxton,Hon.Jim 192
Ugast,Hon.FredB 93
Preparedstatementwithattachments 97
MATERIAL SUBMITTED FORTHE RECORD
"A Supremely Silly Court for the District," article from the Washington
Times,April28, 1993 188
Amendmentsoffered:
Ballenger,substitute(Salariesforjudgesanjustices) 198
Bliley(SubstitutefortitleI;noadditionalauthorization),H.R. 1633 251
(Nograndfatheringofcurrentjudges),H.R. 1633 223
NortonNo. 1toH.R. 1633 196
No.2toH.R. 1633 207
No.3toH.R. 1633 213
Saxton(Bypasscourtofappealsforcertaincases),H.R. 1633 233
StarkNo. 1toH.R. 1—633 221
RepublicanAmendments Summary 265
"StopStiffingtheDistrict'sCourts,' articlefromtheWashingtonPost,March
22, 1993,byJamieS.GorelickandMarkTuohey 186
Subcommittee notice to hold hearing on bill H.R. 1633 with instructions on
preparationfor 172
(HI)
IV
Page
COMMUNICATIONS
Jacobs, Andrew, Jr., Representative in Congress from the State ofIndiana;
lettertoBroderickD.Johnson,staffdirector,D.C. SubcommitteeonJudici-
aryandEducation,datedApril22, 1993 171
White House, Howard Paster, Assistant to the President for Legislative Af-
fairs;lettertoHon.EleanorHolmesNorton,datedJune9,1993 184
U.S.CourtofVeteransAppeals,FrankQ.Nebeker,chiefjudge;lettertoHon.
EleanorHolmesNorton,datedApril20, 1993 266
APPENDIX
Salaries ofappellate and trial courts of50 States, District ofColumbia and
territories 268
Appellate Practice in the United States, by Robert L. Stern; Bureau ofNa-
tionalAffairs,Inc., 1989,Chapter2TheAppellateExplosion 269
Intermediate Appellate Courts: Improving Case Processing (Executive Sum-
mary).NationalCenterforStateCourts,1990 287
Understanding Reversible Error in Criminal Appeals. National Center for
StateCourts. 1989 292
D.C. Bar, Studyofthe D.C. CourtofAppeals, reportofthe Schallercommit-
tee,withminorityviews. 1989 300
WhattoExpectinD.C.SmallClaimsCou—rt—D.C.SuperiorCourt 373
AlternativeDisputeResolutionPrograms 1993 379
Index 385
STAFF SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND
CONCLUSIONS
On June 16, 1993, the committee reported H.R. 1633 to the House
by a vote of 7 yeas to 4 Nays. The committee report is House
Report 103-176. '
Thisvolume includes the transcript ofthe 1-day hearingon April
28, 1993 by the Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education and the
full committee markup on June 9, 1993, which commences on page
177. An appendix starts on page 269.
The bill, as reported, elevates the present nine members of the
D.C. Court ofAppeals to a new D.C. Supreme Court, at no increase
in pay. Through attrition the Supreme Court would eventually
have onlyseven members.
The President would nominate for confirmation by the Senate
nine new members ofthe D.C. Court ofAppeals from lists supplied
by the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission under present law.
The District of Columbi—a would then have the three tier court
system used in 39 States two appellate courts and one trial court.
The new system will permit one full appellate court to decide im-
portant questions of District ofColumbia law and an intermediate
court, often meetingin three-judge panels, to review trial court and
administrative agencydecisions forerror.
Several issues discussed in markup were considered in proposed
amendments.
An amendment (on page 196)byCongresswoman Eleanor Holmes
Norton held the pa—y for newjustices ofthe D.C. Supreme Court at
their present level the rate prescribed by law for judges of the
United States Court ofAppeals. The amendment also set the sala-
ries forjudges on the D.C. Court ofAppeals as midway between the
new D.C. Supreme Court judges and the trial judges of the D.C.
Court ofAppeals as midway between the new D.C. Supreme Court
judges and the trialjudges ofthe D.C. Superior Court.
A substitute amendment by Congressman Ballenger (page 198)
would have reduced the salaries for all three courts. Mr. Bal-
lenger's amendment was defeated and Ms. Norton's amendment
was approved.
A second improvement by Congresswoman Norton (page 207)
which removed the authorization for Federal funds was approved
(page 212).
A third amendmentby Congresswoman Norton (page 213) adding
a section to change the name of "hearing commissioners" to "judi-
cial magistrates" and expanding their duties was approved (page
220).
An amendment by Congressman Ballenger (page 223) to require
presidential appointment ofthe first members ofthe new D.C. Su-
(V)
VI
preme Court rather than elevating the present members of the
D.C. Court ofAppeals wasdefeated (page 232).
An amendment by Congressman Saxton (page 233) creating an
automatic bypass of the intermediate court for serious criminal
cases and cases challengingthe validity ofa council act was defeat-
ed(page 244).
A substitute amendmentby Congressman Bliley(page 251) would
add two judges to the present D.C. Court of Appeals for a 5-year
period. Itwasdefeated (page 258).
H.R. 1633—D.C. SUPREME COURT BILL
Wednesday, April 28, 1993
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education,
Committee on District ofColumbia,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room
1310-A, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Eleanor Holmes
Norton (chairwoman ofthe subcommittee) presiding.
Members present: Representatives Norton, Stark, McDermott
and Ballenger.
Majority staff present: Broderick D. Johnson, staff director;
Dietra L. Ford, senior legislative associate; Marvin R. Eason, staff
assistant; and Ronald C. Willis, subcommittee staffdirector.
Minority staff present: David E. Anderson, counsel; Richard T.
Dykema and Matthew Farley, staffassistants.
William G. Wren, GPO publication specialist.
[The textofH.R. 1633 follows:]
(l)
103dCONGRESS H.R.1633
1stSession
TocreateaSupremeCourtfortheDistrictofColumbia,andforother
purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April1, 1993
Ms. Nortonintroducedthefollowingbill;whichwasreferredtothe
CommitteeontheDistrictofColumbia
A
BILL
To create a Supreme Court forthe District ofColumbia,
and for otherpurposes.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate andHouse ofRepresenta-
2 tivesofthe UnitedStatesofAmericain Congressassembled,
3 SECTION1.SHORTTITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the "District of Columbia
5 JudicialReorganizationActof1993".