Emergency Judicial Relief Act of 2011
Latest action. Star Print ordered on the reported bill.
Emergency Judicial Relief Act of 2011 - (Sec. 2) Directs the President to appoint, by and with the Senate's advice and consent, specified additional permanent district judges for various federal judicial districts in Arizona, California, Minnesota, and Texas.
Converts certain existing temporary judgeships for the district of Arizona and the central district of California to permanent judgeships.
Increases the filing fee for most civil actions or proceedings, excluding a writ of habeas corpus, to $360 (currently, $350).
Requires that incremental amounts collected by reason of enactment of this Act be deposited in a special fund in the Treasury to offset funds appropriated for the operation and maintenance of U.S. courts to the extent specifically appropriated by an Act of Congress after enactment of this Act.
(Sec. 3) Prohibits any judicial branch officer, employee, agent, contractor, or subcontractor from discharging, demoting, threatening, suspending, harassing, or otherwise discriminating against an employee in the terms and conditions of employment because of any lawful act by the employee to provide information, cause information to be provided, or otherwise assist in an investigation regarding any possible violation of federal law or regulation, or misconduct, by a judge, justice, or any other employee in the judicial branch, which may assist in the investigation of the possible violation or misconduct.
Authorizes an employee injured by such a prohibited act to obtain appropriate relief in a civil action.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on October 17, 2011. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Star Print ordered on the reported bill.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on November 15, 2011: Star Print ordered on the reported bill.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced it on May 17, 2011, and 7 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 4 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 17, 2011, 5595 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5413 days ago, on November 15, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateStar Print ordered on the reported bill.
- HouseNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action