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
'Heroes who risked their lives' | Georgia congressman brings forward measure to honor Freedom Riders
John L. Lewis (left), and Jim Zwerg (right), splattered with blood after being attacked and beaten in Montgomery, AL.
Johnson, Mace Seek Congressional Gold Medal for Civil Rights ‘heroes who risked their lives to make America better’ – more than 50 colleagues agree.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, as we close out Black History Month, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) re-introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on Congress to award the Freedom Riders the Congressional Gold Medal.
WASHINGTON — As public confidence in the Supreme Court falls to an all-time low, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) on Wednesday reintroduced the Supreme Court Ethics Act, requiring the Judicial Conference of the United States to create a code of ethical conduct for the Supreme Court of the United States.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to hold the U.S. Supreme Court accountable to the American people, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) today re-introduced his Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act. The bill will require justices of the Supreme Court to adopt and follow a code of ethics, creates an accountability mechanism for these ethics by establishing advisory review by appellate court judges, places transparency standards on gifts and travel, codifies recusal standards, and requires the court to disclose lobbying and dark money interests before it.
Representative Johnson Elected Ranking Member of Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced he has secured positions as a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I).
He was also elected by his peers as the ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, which he served as chairman of during the 117th Congress.
Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet in the 117th Congress, released the following statement in response to the report released on the Supreme Court’s investigation into the leak of the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) released the following statement after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced he is appointing a special counsel to investigate the handling of classified documents found at a former office and the Delaware home of President Biden.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today is the second anniversary of the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol. Congressman Johnson (GA-04) posted the following statement in remembrance of that tragic day.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) voted for common-sense legislation to guard the public trust and ensure tax laws are applied evenly and justly to every American – particularly the president of the United States. The Presidential Tax Filings and Audit Transparency Act will require the IRS to conduct an annual, publicly-disclosed audit of the President's finances.
The Times report led to a flurry of letters between the Supreme Court, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) on the court’s failure to adopt and abide by a binding ethics code, and a push from progressive groups for Congress to hold hearings on the subject.