The Battle For The Gavel

Yesterday, in an article decrying Congressional interference in our federal judiciary, the Sacramento Bee highlighted our very own Steve King as an offender. King’s words stand on their own:

"What we have today is a judicial branch that's totally out of control, a judicial branch that rejects the Constitution itself and it rejected federal law. It's time for Congress to assert its rightful constitutional authority over the courts...If we wanted to abolish the 9th Circuit for example, we could do that...We could also cut the budget. We could prohibit the Justice Department from enforcing the orders of the courts...We can limit jurisdiction if we choose to. I'm not sure that gets the job done...When their budget starts to dry up, we'll get their attention...If we are going to preserve our Constitution we must get them in line."

-- Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, in a March 26 interview with National Public Radio

"Congressional control over federal courts is comparable to the authority of parents over teenagers. Parents and Congress set limits on their allowance (budget), the curfew (the law) and on travel limitations (jurisdiction). When the courts go too far, Congress, acting as a parent would, has the constitutional responsibility to set new limits."

-- Rep. Steve King in a Sept. 15, 2004 press release