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7337603
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President Signs S. 754, the "Speedy Trial Act of 1974" [Signing Statements and Announcements]
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doc
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
7337603
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
President Signs S. 754, the "Speedy Trial Act of 1974" [Signing Statements and Announcements]
citationUrl
collections
White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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U.S. Senate. (03/04/1789 - )
Legislation
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7337603
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4
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1975-01-04
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1
year
1975
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nara-archive
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1
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ef03b5df3ccae4c3
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Digitized from Box 6 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 4, 1975
Office of the White House Press Secretary
THE WHITE HOUSE
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
I have given my approval to S. 754, the so-called
"Speedy Trial Act of 1974." I have done so, however, with
some reservations.
I fully endorse the goal of speedy justice, but I am
concerned about the sanctions imposed by the bill. If its
time limits are not met, Section 3162 provides for dismissal
of the indictment and permits the trial judge to decide
whether a subsequent reindictment would be permitted. I
believe that dismissal without precluding reindictment would
constitute an ample sanction to insure that prompt trials do
take place. I hope that the sound discretion of our Federal
District Court Judges will minimize the possibility that a
defendant will be unnecessarily exonerated from punishment
for a serious offense without ever having undergone a trial.
I also take this opportunity to call for prompt
Congressional action on the recommendation of the Judicial
Conference of the United States for the creation of 51
additional Federal District Court judgeships in 33 separate
judicial districts across the country. This measure recog-
nizes that justice delayed is too often justice denied.
However, without a commitment to meet the increased demands
which the bill will impose on our federal judiciary, as well
as prosecutors, its benefits become transparent.
The Judicial Conference recommendation was advanced in
1972 and Senate hearings incorporating the proposal were
conducted in 1973. To date, however, this legislation has
not been scheduled for action. I hope that it will be a
priority item for the 94th Congress.
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