WASHINGTON, D.C.—The House today unanimously passed a bill to make Arizona’s judicial system more accessible to residents in the northern and southwestern parts of the state. Rep. Greg Stanton has been working with the House Judiciary Committee for several months to advance the legislation.
Rep. Tom O’Halleran introduced H.R. 1569 earlier this year to amend the U.S. code to allow both Flagstaff and Yuma to hold district court proceedings. It has the support of every member of the Arizona delegation.
“A pillar of the United States’ structure of democracy is for all Americans to have access to the courts—whether that is by its literal location or by reducing cost barriers,” Stanton said during today’s floor debate. “We are weakening that pillar when residents must drive over 100 miles for their day in court. Access to justice should not be dictated by where you live.”
Earlier this year, Arizona’s District Court identified amending the statute that organizes the state’s court activity as a top priority. Currently, the statute only allows district court proceedings to be held in Globe, Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson. The statute is long outdated—it hasn’t been amended since it was enacted in 1948, and court hasn’t been held in Globe for at least 50 years.
“I agree with everything the gentleman just said,” Rep. Doug Collins, the republican Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee from Georgia, said during debate. “This is a good bill, it needs to happen. These locations are different—and since 1948 the state of Arizona has changed.”
Stanton managed the floor debate for the bill during today’s House session. His full remarks as prepared are below:
I rise in strong support of H.R. 1569 – a bill unanimously supported by our entire Arizona delegation - that will amend title 28 of the U.S. Code to add the cities of Flagstaff and Yuma to the list of locations in which federal district court can be held in my home state of Arizona.
The Code is outdated and has not been amended since it was enacted in 1948. It is preposterous that right now district court matters can only be held in Globe, Phoenix, Prescott, and Tucson.
This means that Yuma and Flagstaff residents must travel at least 100 miles to attend a hearing or report for jury duty. This is totally unacceptable and unnecessary.
A pillar of the United States’ structure of democracy is for all Americans to have access to the courts – whether that is by its literal location or by reducing cost barriers. We are weakening that pillar when residents must drive over 100 miles for their day in court.
Access to justice should not be dictated by where you live. I am proud to support this legislation because it will have a tremendous impact on the residents in these parts of the state.
I urge my colleagues to support it and I hope the Senate acts swiftly and delivers H.R. 1569 to the President for signature.
It is time for Arizona to have a more efficient and effective court system.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.
Video of the floor remarks from Stanton, Collins and O’Halleran is available here.