BORDER COURTS NEED FEDERAL JUDGES

The bad joke about just how porous U.S. borders are is no laughing matter
these days as border courts are becoming overwhelmed because of
Washington's failure to fill federal judgeships.

The lack of federal judges, coupled with a flood of border traffic created
by the North American Free Trade Agreement and the war on drugs, has the
court system backed up so far that judges are accepting guilty pleas and
imposing sentences in large groups, something unheard of in other federal
courts.

It is imperative that President Bush moves quickly to nominate more federal
judges for judicial districts along the Southwest borders, and that the
Democrats in the Senate confirm them with deliberate speed. Also, more
judgeships should be created.

Currently, pressure is on Congress to add 18 judgeships needed along the
border. To its credit, Congress did add two permanent judgeships in Texas
and one in New Mexico.

One weapon of the war on terrorism is to have stricter and tighter
enforcement of our nation's borders.

An important part of law enforcement that is often forgotten is that
smooth-running courts are a key ingredient to better law enforcement.
Efficiently moving cases through the system helps clear backlogs, reduce
dockets and battle crime.

Having enough federal judges to hear cases, make important legal decisions
and prosecute those who violate U.S. immigration laws is critical.

The truth is that Washington has not done a good job of helping the courts
keep up. There are supposed to be 56 trial judges in the border judicial
districts in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Death, retirement
and governmental gridlock over judicial nominations have left as many as
nine vacancies in the past year. While the Senate recently approved three
border-court nominees, more are needed to alleviate the situation before it
worsens.

Unfortunately, the White House and the Senate continue to battle over
judicial nominations despite the border-court problems and the war on
terrorism, which some say will require more judges to approve warrants and
wiretap orders.

In Congress, it's the same old tune as Republicans accuse the Democrats,
who now control the Senate, of not moving fast enough to confirm judges.
Democrats, on the other hand, insist they've done a much better job than
the Republicans, who did the same when former President Clinton was in office.

Filling federal judgeships to handle immigration cases should be a
non-political process, especially during this time of increased concerns
about terrorism and illegal immigration. The nation's security and the
rights of immigrants being tried in federal court depend on it.