Florida's winning team: U.S. Senator Graham and U.S. Senator Mack protecting Floridians' right to justice.

• Author: Russomanno, Herman J.
• Position: Appointment of U.S. district court judges

This article is in tribute to the outstanding bipartisan leadership of Senator Bob Graham and Senator Connie Mack in addressing Florida's special judicial needs. Because of their extraordinary determination and hard work they have achieved what no other state has even come close to accomplishing in recent years concerning the appointment of U.S. district court judges. Because of their dedicated service, Florida has been blessed with competent, experienced, compassionate, and highly professional judges. These distinguished individuals bring to the court the highest standards and strong commitments to the administration of justice.

What did our senators do to protect Floridians' right to justice? How did our Florida senators join hands to assist our overburdened federal courts in Florida? For several years, U.S. Senators Graham and Mack worked together to prevent crowded court dockets from turning delayed justice into denied justice for thousands of criminal victims, defendants, and civil litigants in Florida. Their unified efforts were ultimately successful in the fiscal year 2000 budget agreement between Congress and the White House, which included legislation to create four new Middle District Court judgeships. Senators Graham and Mack had introduced legislation to assist the overburdened federal courts in Florida. This legislation was known as their "Florida Federal Judgeship Act," which provided additional judgeships in the Middle and Southern districts. This legislation was essential since the situation facing federal judges in the Middle and Southern districts was a full-blown crisis. Statistics kept by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts demonstrated the compelling need for new judgeships in these districts. For example, at the time the bill was passed, the Middle District ranked second nationally in the number of cases filed per judge each year, with an astonishing 805. The Southern District averaged 608 per judge. Both of these numbers were far above the national average of 516. Florida was indeed fortunate to have strong senate leadership at this critical juncture. In Florida, Senators Graham and Mack instituted a process under which a bipartisan commission screens candidates. The criteria employed by our senators include: impeccable character, superior intellect, significant experience, mature judgment, strong work ethic, and integrity beyond reproach.

As a result of the efforts of our senators, in the last three years...