FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2001
CONTACT: Lisette McSoud Mondello
SENATORS HUTCHISON AND FEINSTEIN INTRODUCE BILL
TO INCREASE FEDERAL JUDGESHIPS ON U.S.-MEXICO BORDER
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) have introduced bipartisan legislation to authorize 18 new federal judgeships along the U.S.-Mexico border, four of which would go to Texas.
"The Southwest border courts are on the front line of the drug war," Senator Hutchison said. "It's urgent we get them help to reduce their caseloads. This bipartisan bill will help ensure that border criminals – especially drug runners – are swiftly prosecuted."
There are 94 U.S. District Courts. The five border courts (Western Texas, Southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California) now handle 26 percent of all federal criminal filings in the United States, and are projected to handle one-third of all total cases within two years.
"The federal courts along the U.S.-Mexico border are simply overwhelmed with pending drug cases," Senator Feinstein said. "This legislation would give the courts additional resources to handle the extraordinary workload. The end result will be more trials, more convictions and a safer border."
From March 1994 through March 1999, criminal cases filed in Southwest border courts increased by 125 percent (from 6,460 to 14,517), drug prosecutions in these same districts increased by 189 percent (from 2,864 to 5,414), and immigration prosecutions rose by 431 percent (from 1,056 to 5,614).
The bill (S. 147) adopts the recommendations of the Judicial Conference of the United States. It would authorize nine permanent judgeships (two for the Western District of Texas, one for the Southern District of Texas, one for New Mexico and five for the Southern District of California) and nine temporary judgeships (one for the Western District of Texas, one for New Mexico, four for Arizona and three for the Southern District of California).
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