Court Has Last Word on What Is Left Unsaid in Congress
Members of Congress don’t have to say what they mean, as long as they mean to say it, a federal appeals court ruled today.
With the ruling, the lawmakers’ 200-year-old practice of inserting into the Congressional Record speeches never delivered and statements never made remains safe.
“There is simply no First Amendment right to receive a verbatim transcript of the proceedings of Congress,” the three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said.
The case arose when Reps. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), Manuel Lujan Jr. (R-N.M.) and Robert S. Walker (R-Pa.) filed a complaint, arguing that the Congressional Record is not a faithful transcript of what actually is said on the floor of the House and Senate.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
