ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY

On 2025-04-08, Representative Julie Johnson (D-TX-32) delivered a floor speech titled "ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY" in the House.

ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1493-H1494] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY (Ms. JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am rising in opposition to the Republicans' dismantling of the Judiciary Act. It is not about justice; it is about power. It is a full-scale assault on our Constitution, the courts, and the people those courts are meant to protect. The American people must be able to challenge unconstitutional laws and seek relief when they are harmed. That is the role of the judiciary, to be a check on our government from overreach and to safeguard our public rights. Instead of respecting that, Republicans are attacking judicial independence because they don't like the outcome when the courts rule against them. Earlier today, Republicans in debate acknowledged that President Trump has been overruled by judges more than the last three Presidents combined, and that is because he is insistent on extending an overreach of the executive branch. We have the courts to safeguard that. What the Republicans are trying to do is to require every single person who has been harmed in any way to file individual lawsuits, clogging up our courts, requiring them to hire expensive attorneys, precluding their access to the courts. It is unconstitutional, and this rule must be voted down. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote against it. [[Page H1494]] ____________________