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
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee that oversees the federal courts, today released the following statement after the Supreme Court announced the adoption of a code of conduct for the justices:
Requiring disclosure of the identity of funders of amicus curiae briefs would expose lobbying of federal judges by big special interests
Congressman Provides Letter of Support to Procure More Than $147K COPS Grant
BROOKHAVEN, GA – Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), announced that the Brookhaven Police Department is receiving $147,900 federal COPS grant that he helped secure for Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Implementation Projects.
I have a deep, abiding respect for the judiciary as an independent, co-equal branch of our government, and it is because of that deep respect I believe congressional action is needed to save the court from itself.
Read the entire op-ed in The Hill.
WSB-TV
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 establishing a new process for Supreme Court appointments.
Congressman Joined by 32 Colleagues Demanding Hearing, Floor Vote on Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal & Transparency Bill in Wake of Yet More Troubling Justice Thomas Reports
Letter follows months of reporting detailing the infiltration of Supreme Court by right-wing billionaires and their operatives.
Members renew request to investigate Justice Thomas’s potential violations of the Ethics in Government Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Friday, August 11, Hank Johnson (GA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Jerry Nadler (NY), Jamie Raskin (MD), and Ted Lieu (CA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for consistently failing to report significant gifts he received. For close to two decades, Justice Thomas repeatedly certified that his financial disclosures were “accurate, true, and complete,” despite omitting millions of dollars in gifts.