To extend the authority for the United States Supreme Court Police to protect court officials off the Supreme Court grounds, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. R. 6855, a bill to extend the authority for the United States Supreme Court Police to protect Court officials off the Supreme Court grounds. This important bill is sponsored by my colleague on the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Smith. In order to get unbiased, thoughtful rulings on important cases, it is necessary the officials who preside over these cases can walk the streets unburdened with the fear that their interpretations and decisions will lead to them facing harm on their way home. It is time to protect our court officials so they can carry out their important work.

This bill will protect the Members of the Court. Currently, Justices do not receive any protection when they are off the Court grounds. Unlike cabinet secretaries and governors who receive protection from the Marshall Service, Justices are forced to remain unprotected. They are open up to being attacked and injured or worse. We must protect them as they are just as important to our democracy as our President and Members of Congress.

Four years ago, Supreme Court Justice David Souter, while jogging near his home in Southwest Washington DC, was assaulted by two young men. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and thankfully was released a few hours later. While this attack was deemed by the police as only a random assault, and that robbery was not the motive, 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 these people, is not just about protecting the person, it is about protecting the sanctity of the Court and the decisions they render. This legislation will assure the choices that the Justices make comes from a place of righteousness and not intimidation.

The noted philosopher and English Parliamentarian, Edmund Burke, said, ``Good order is the foundation of all things.'' Members of the Court have an important responsibility to maintain order in government. They were chosen to provide clarity when questions arose on the rights that were promised to us by the Founding Fathers.

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. It is in this function, that we know when it is our turn to serve; we can do so without undue fear.

Without the venerable work of the members of the Court and the myriad of landmark cases that they decided, the country would have a markedly different look, far from what we see today.

Police officers could walk around searching anyone they choose; personal privacy would be a dream and not a reality. Miranda v Arizona would have never given us the right to remain silent, or the right to talk to a lawyer.

But for the case of Brown v. the Board of Education, many Americans would not be able to take part in integrated schools and would face lower quality of education.

But for the Court, many African American voters would not be able to take part in a historic vote this November.

To be sure, our Nation would look very different if it was not for the Court. Since its creation in the Constitution, they have been a vital partner in the fight for civil rights, women's rights and the rights of all people across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6855) to extend the authority for the United States Supreme Court Police to protect court officials off the Supreme Court grounds, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6855 extends for 5 years existing authority for the Supreme Court Police to protect the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Court, as well as officers and employees of the Supreme Court who are performing official duties while they are away from the grounds of the Supreme Court building.

When the Supreme Court first moved to its own building just over 70 years ago, we sent them a small contingent of Capitol Police officers commissioned as ``special policemen'' for the protection of the Court. It wasn't until 1982 that Congress provided the force with statutory recognition as the Supreme Court Police. That statute also gave them authority to patrol the Supreme Court buildings and grounds, make arrests, carry firearms, and protect the Chief Justice and any Associate Justices, official guests, and employees of the Court while performing official duties.

In that statute, the Congress also expanded the Supreme Court Police force's authority in a way very similar to what we had granted the Capitol Police the previous year. In 1981, we authorized the Capitol Police to provide protection to individual Members and officers of Congress, as well as their families, on or off the Capitol grounds. Likewise, in 1982 we authorized the Supreme Court Police to protect the Justices and the employees of the court while they're away from the court building anywhere in the United States.

When we first gave this authority to the Supreme Court Police in 1982, it was subject to a 3-year sunset provision. Since then, we have extended this authority 7 times, and this bill will continue that tradition.

In the 26 years since this authority was first granted, threats to all three branches, from terrorists and others who want to disrupt our government, have only increased. That is why it is imperative that we should not allow the authority of the Supreme Court Police to sunset at the end of this year.

I urge my colleagues to support the legislation so that the Supreme Court Police can continue to perform their critical mission effectively.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and am prepared to close if the gentleman will yield.

Mr. Speaker, I would be willing to work with the gentleman to make it permanent. But this is what we have at this point for 3 years. So I would hope we pass this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is very similar to the legislation we passed in the House a week ago, H.R. 6855.

The bill addresses an issue affecting the safety of the Justices and other officials who work at the United States Supreme Court.

First, the legislation extends the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court Police to protect Court officials off the Supreme Court grounds through 2013. The current authorization expires on December 29, 2008.

This provision is necessary and noncontroversial. Congress created the original authority in 1982 and has renewed it regularly. The last authorization was 4 years ago.

Failure to extend the authority places the Justices and other Supreme Court employees and officers at risk. In light of heightened security threats, it is vital that the Supreme Court Police be empowered to carry out this service without interruption. In fact, Justice Souter was attacked off grounds while jogging in May 2004, the same year we last extended the authority.

As with previous authorizations, it is contemplated that the authority extends to the immediate area in the District and surrounding environs. The Marshall Service would provide protection to the Justices when they speak or travel out of the D.C.-Virginia-Maryland metropolitan region.

Finally, the legislation prohibits Federal judges from accepting honorary memberships to clubs that are valued in excess of $50. The last item is the only distinction between S. 3296 and the House bill.

Mr. Speaker, S. 3296 acknowledges an unfortunate but realistic problem: sometimes the Justices must be protected off Supreme Court grounds. This is a legislative exercise that the Congress has regularly undertaken on behalf of the Court since 1982.

I urge the Members to support the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time as well.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleague in urging support for this legislation.

The Supreme Court is an independent branch of government needing to have the exact same level and should, to be honest, without any need for extension should, on a permanent basis, have a recognized ability to protect itself.

We view ourselves as independent, and we have the Capitol Police. Certainly the executive branch views itself as independent and has both the Secret Service and, of course, the Army, the Navy, and the Marines, and so on.

So I certainly believe that this is important for us to do today to extend the authority of the United States Supreme Court Police. But I would happily work with my colleague on the other side of the aisle to recognize that in fact this is a permanent need, and although we would have to fund it on an annual basis as we do the Secret Service, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and so on, that we should never let the Supreme Court have any doubt but that its independence, its autonomy, its ability to do its constitutional duty without any question, but that they and those who they need to protect along with them would be protected, we should do that through a funding mechanism and never again need to do what we're doing here today. Having said that, this is a body that takes what it gets and does what it can with what it gets.

Today we're considering an extension. I move with my colleague on the other side to do that, and I urge all of my colleagues to pass this. I believe this is going to be passed unanimously today. But long before 2013, we should, in fact, make this a permanent authorization.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 3296) to extend the authority of the United States Supreme Court Police to protect court officials off the Supreme Court Grounds and change the title of the Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in this case, the title accurately describes the contents of the bill. It attempts and proposes to extend the authority of the United States Supreme Court Police to protect court officials off the Supreme Court grounds and changes the title of the Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice.

Congress has given the Supreme Court Police statutory recognition since 1982, with authority to patrol the Supreme Court buildings and grounds, make arrests, carry firearms, and protect the Chief Justice, any Associate Justice, official guests, and employees of the Court while performing official duties.

The Supreme Court Police are also authorized to protect the Justices and employees of the Court while they are away from the Court building, anywhere in the United States. We have extended this authority on several occasions, and this bill does so again, so that it will not expire at the end of this year.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, so that the Supreme Court Police can continue to perform their critical mission effectively.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back balance of my time.