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
Dear Friends,
Today, I'm in Washington, D.C. working to get the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 out of Judiciary Committee and to the House floor for a full vote.
Not only am I proud to be a co-sponsor of Justice in Policing, but many of my policy and legislative priorities are directly reflected in the bill – H.R. 7120 – including my Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, which was cut and pasted into this bill.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Hank Johnson has proudly co-sponsored H.R. 7120, the Justice in Policing Act.
This bold, transformative legislation calls on everyone to reimagine the culture of policing in America with unprecedented reforms to curb police brutality, end racial profiling, eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement and build greater trust between law enforcement and our communities.
Congressmen introduce Bivens Bill That Would Allow Citizens Recover Damages for Constitutional Violations by Federal Law Enforcement Officials
Hank Johnson and Michael Shank
As President Donald Trump pushes for more military equipment to be rolled out to confront protesters, we need to do everything in our power to stop this before it changes the character of our country forever.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability on June 10, Rep. Johnson, a senior member of the Committee, highlighted the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.
By Tia Mitchell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some of the initiatives found in congressional Democrats' new policing bill are proposals U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson authored years ago.
The recent willingness by Democrats, potentially some Republicans and members of the public to embrace sweeping changes in how law enforcement officers do their jobs came, in part, because of the graphic video of George Floyd's final moments.
Protests nationwide focused on the death of Floyd and other African Americans who were killed by police, and they acted as the catalyst behind Monday's unveiling of the sweeping proposal.
By Jacqueline Alemany
"Things have gotten worse since Rodney King and it's clear that the William P. Barr ‘let's ignore reality and get tough on protesters' approach is the wrong way to go. It was wrong then and it's wrong now," Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) told Power Up. "He is an individual who has shown such blatant disregard for the law and the Constitution. I think he will go down in history as one of the worst attorneys general ever to hold office — a man who cares nothing about making sure that the people who need protection under the law get that protection."
Pentagon has transferred $6 billion worth of surplus equipment to local law enforcement departments
Lawmakers eye NDAA to limit military gear transfers to police
Pentagon has transferred $6 billion worth of surplus equipment to local law enforcement departments
The program, which is run through the Defense Logistics Agency, dates back to the 1990s, with the goal of finding additional uses for equipment the Defense Department no longer needs, from guns, trucks and armored vehicles to tents, pants and hand-warme
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) delivered the following 1-minute House floor speech to bring awareness to the racial disparities of COVID-19 and police violence against unarmed African Americans in light of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, MN this week.
To watch, click HERE.
Madame Speaker:
"I Can't Breathe" is a poem I delivered on this floor six years ago when Eric Garner got choked out by the police.