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WASHINGTON – President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation to authorize the Eastern District of Texas to hold federal court in the City of Plano. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn sponsored the bill, S. 1720, and it is his first stand-alone legislation to be enacted into law. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. As the first Texan on the Judiciary Committee since 1961, Sen. Cornyn worked to break a long impasse and allow the people of the Eastern District greater access to courts. “With the President’s signature of this important legislation, concrete steps can now be taken to set up court in Plano; property can be secured and other logistical efforts can begin,” Cornyn said. “It’s encouraging that Plano is this much closer to holding federal court and that the people of the Eastern District will soon have more access to our federal courts.” Plano and Sherman will both benefit from the bill. The judges of the Eastern District of Texas have unanimously agreed, and have signed a resolution, that the docket will be split 50/50 between Sherman and Plano. Also, the bill shifts Fannin, Lamar, Delta, and Hopkins counties to the Sherman Division, creating even more casework for the Sherman court. Efforts to authorize the holding of federal court in Plano are not new to Congress. Legislation has originated in the House and been approved there five times since 1991. Each time, however, the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to take action on the legislation. This year, because of the large number of judges now assigned to Sherman, holding federal court in Plano has become more necessary than ever. Currently, one must drive at least 100 miles roundtrip to reach the Eastern District judge nearest to Plano. As a result, federal prosecutors, public defenders, other attorneys and law enforcement officials must spend valuable time and resources conducting even the most simple court business.