Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Protect State and Local Judges
U.S. Senators Chris Coons and John Cornyn of Texas have introduced the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, which would establish a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to provide technical assistance, training, and threat monitoring for state and local judges and court personnel. Senator Coons says public servants should be able to do their jobs free from threats to themselves or their families – and that includes our state and local judges. He adds that the United States has seen increasing political violence that has too often ended in tragedy – threatening those just trying to serve their country and threatening our democratic system built on respect for the rule of law. Senator Coons adds that this bipartisan bill unanimously passed the Senate last year and that he looks forward to working with his colleagues to get this bill to the president’s desk.
Additional Information:
The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act would create a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to:
- Provide technical assistance to state and local judges and court personnel around judicial security
- Provide physical security assessments for courts, homes, and other facilities where judicial officers and staff conduct court-related business
- Conduct research to identify, examine, and advance best practices around judicial security
- And be housed within the existing State Justice Institute, a private nonprofit and nonpartisan corporation established by Congress in 1984
U.S. Representatives Lucy McBath (D-Ga.-06) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas-10) introduced companion legislation in the House.
The legislation is supported by the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), National Center for State Courts (NCSC), Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal (CCJSCA), National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers (NAPCO), American Judges Association (AJA), and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ).
“Across the nation we have seen threats on and attacks against state and local judges increase, including near-fatal attacks on state judges in Texas and Ohio and attacks on or threats against state judges in California, Idaho, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Rhode Island, and Wyoming,” said Chief Justice Matthew Durrant, Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice and President of the Conference of Chief Justices. “We urge the swift passage of the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, which is an important step in protecting our state and local judges and, by extension, the rule of law.”
“This legislation is vital to the security of every state judge in America,” said National Center for State Courts President Elizabeth T. Clement. “We urge Congress to take action today to help keep our judges safe.”
“Unlike the federal judiciary, the 30,000 state and local judicial officers across the nation lack a resource center on judicial security, standardized incident reporting, and access to threat evaluations,” said Regina deChabert Petersen, Administrator of Courts for the Judiciary of the Virgin Islands and President of the Conference of State Court Administrators. “The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act would help protect our local and state court personnel by providing them with technical assistance, increased threat tracking, and physical security assessments for court buildings and their homes.
“As public servants, prosecutors deserve to fulfill their duties free from fear or threats. The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act is important legislation as it provides the necessary support to keep our state and local judges, prosecutors, and court staff and their families safe, preserves the rule of law, and safeguards our judicial systems,” said Nelson Bunn, Executive Director of the National District Attorneys Association.
A one-pager on the bill is available here.
The text of the bill is available here.