Protecting Court Officials Off Supreme Court Grounds

PROTECTING COURT OFFICIALS OFF SUPREME COURT GROUNDS -- (House of Representatives - September 27, 2008)

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Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3296, a bill to extend the authority of the United States Supreme Court Police to protect court officials of the Supreme Court grounds and change the title of the Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice. This bill makes sense and it should be supported. I urge my colleagues to support this very important bill.

Four years ago, Supreme Court Justice David Souter was assaulted by two men while jogging near his home. While this attack was deemed only a random assault, this should serve as a wake-up call for us all. The Supreme Court, like the Office of the President, is more important than the person serving in the position. Protecting them, isn't just about protecting the person, it's about protecting the sanctity of the court.

Edmund Burke said that ``Good order is the foundation of all things.'' To keep this order, we much protect those who provide that order. As this country becomes more and more partisan, we risk that the more extreme factors in our society will lash out and circumvent the system by focusing their anger at the officers of the court. Already the court is coming under increased attack from both sides of the aisle as being ``activist.''

This bill does something fundamental for the American way of life, it protects it. The legacy of all those who came before us depends on making sure that those who come after can do the job duty requires. Nothing is more fundamentally American than protecting those who protect our rights.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that we pass this bill.

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