Judicial Reform
Problem:
Our current federal judicial system is disorganized and unsustainable. Citizens are losing faith in our democracy and its three branches of government.
Lower courts are flooded with cases and overworked. Although federal caseloads have gone up by 30% since 1990, Congress has not passed any major bills expanding the size of courts in the last three decades.
When we have understaffed courts, people, many of whom are being tried for nonviolent crimes such as drug possession and sex work sit in detention centers for months waiting to be heard.
We cannot let people’s lives fall through the cracks - judicial reform is necessary to provide equity to the people, and efficiency to the courts.
Our Plan:
Bring equity within judicial reform
Eliminate cash bail, which disproportionately affects communities of color and provides little revenue to the state.
Eliminate the prosecution of low-level drug offenses.
Decriminalize possession of marijuana and offenses related to sex work at a federal level.
Eliminate asset forfeiture for all legal proceedings.
Expand the size of courts
Increase funding for public defender programs.
Create term limits for Supreme Court justices of no more than 20 years.
Institute a required senior status or retirement age for all federal judges.
Expand the lower courts by doubling district judges and increasing appellate judges.
Use staggered appointments to increase the amount of immigration, bankruptcy, and district magistrate judges.
This Matters:
Our justice system and its judges have the capacity to profoundly shape public policy. Judicial reform is absolutely necessary to make sure that people are heard in court and that disputes are handled democratically and fairly.