Justice & Court Reform
As the former chair and now ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet, Congressman Johnson is the leading voice in the House on court reform -- particularly the Supreme Court. Even before the 6-3 right-wing supermajority took control of the court, Rep. Johnson proposed legislation to expand the Supreme Court (Judiciary Act); require that the justices follow a code of ethics, transparency, and recusal standards (SCERT Act); and establish term limits for justices (TERM Act). Rep. Johnson has also introduced legislation to ensure that employees of the federal judiciary have strong statutory rights and protections against discrimination and workplace misconduct (JAA).
For more on the Congressman’s work on court reform, please read below.
More on Justice & Court Reform
As we prepare to observe the Labor Day weekend, I want to recognize and celebrate workers, especially those who aren't always acknowledged for what they do to help all of us in our daily lives in ways large and small.
By Jozsef Papp, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC: U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson seeks to protect artists' lyrics from prosecutors.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) voted to send historic, inflation-fighting legislation to the President's desk. The Inflation Reduction Act will deliver landmark investments to lower Georgia families' kitchen table costs, create nine million good-paying union jobs, combat the climate crisis and dramatically reduce the deficit.
"Today, I proudly voted to fight inflation, slash Georgians' kitchen table costs, create good-paying jobs and deliver the largest climate investment in our nation's history," said Rep. Johnson.
"Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech."
"Freddy Mercury did not confess to having ‘just killed a man' by putting ‘a gun against his head' and ‘'pulling the trigger. Bob Marley did not confess to having shot a sheriff. And Johnny Cash did not confess to shooting ‘a man in Reno, just to watch him die' – Bey-Cousin v. Powell (E.D. PA 2021)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to restore legitimacy and independence to the nation's highest court, today Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) introduced the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization (TERM) Act, which would establish term limits for Supreme Court justices while preserving constitutional protections for judicial independence in decision making. Under the TERM Act, a new justice would take the bench every two years and spend 18 years in active service.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, in order to combat right-wing attacks on women's reproductive health freedoms, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) voted to defend Georgians' right to access birth control. Passed in response to the Supreme Court's heart-wrenching decision undermining the Constitutional right to privacy, the Right to Contraception Act establishes a statutory right to obtain, use and provide contraception under federal law — preempting Republican attempts to criminalize contraception.
By: Ariana Figueroa - July 18, 2022
WASHINGTON — A group of U.S. House Democrats Monday called for the passage of legislation that would add four justices to the Supreme Court, following the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that provided the constitutional right to abortion.
"It's an ultra-right-wing Republican Supreme Court," Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia said during a press conference outside the Capitol. "It is a Supreme Court where basic freedoms are under assault."
by Julia Mueller - 07/18/22 4:42 PM ET
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), the lead sponsor of the 2021 Judiciary Act, called the current makeup "a Supreme Court at crisis with itself and with our democracy" where "basic freedoms are under assault" from the 6-3 conservative supermajority on the bench.
The Supreme Court isn't susceptible to the popular vote the way Congress is, Johnson said, and it has used that fact to amass power. "It's making decisions that usurp the power of the legislative and executive branches," he said.