House approves three non-controversial judiciary bills

The House approved three non-controversial bills Monday night under a suspension of the rules.

The first, H.R. 394, would amend the judicial code to hold that U.S. district courts do not have original jurisdiction over civil actions between U.S. citizens and non-U.S. residents. It was approved in a 402-0 vote.

The second bill, H.R. 347, would explicitly allow for fines and prison terms of up to 10 years against anyone who knowingly enters the White House or the vice president's residence without lawful authority to do so.

There is already authority under Washington DC law to punish these trespassers, but making it explicit was seen as a non-controversial item. The bill was accepted in a 399-3 vote, and only Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Paul Broun (R-Ga.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas) voted against it.

H.R. 368, would clarify that the prosecution of a federal official that begins in state court should be moved to a U.S. district court. This bill was approved in a 396-4 vote; Amash, Broun, Paul and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) voted against this bill.