THIS SEARCH     THIS DOCUMENT     GO TO
Next Hit        Forward           New Bills Search
Prev Hit        Back              HomePage
Hit List        Best Sections     Help
                Contents Display

Printer Friendly Display - 1,859 bytes.[Help]

Billno should always have and extension i.e. h1.ih

Openness in Justice Act (Introduced in House)

HR 700 IH

108th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 700

To amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure to require written opinions in certain cases, and for other purposes.

ERR11*

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 11, 2003

Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure to require written opinions in certain cases, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Openness in Justice Act'.

SEC. 2. WRITTEN OPINIONS IN APPELLATE CASES.

The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure are amended by inserting after Rule 48 the following new rule:

`Rule 49. Written opinions

`(a) WHEN REQUIRED- A written opinion that expounds on the law as applied to the facts of the case, and explains the judicial reasons upon which the judgment is based, shall be issued in connection with a judgment entered in each of the following cases:

`(1) A civil action removed from State court.

`(2) A civil action wherein jurisdiction is founded solely upon diversity of citizenship, in which the matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of $100,000.

`(3) Any appeal regarding the use of a court's inherent powers.

`(b) PARTIES' RIGHT TO REQUEST- Each party on direct appeal may request a written opinion referred to in subsection (a).'.