Bill Text: NJ AR185 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Respectfully petitions federal government to provide enhanced security to federal judges.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-08-25 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [AR185 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-AR185-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman YVONNE LOPEZ
District 19 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Respectfully petitions federal government to provide enhanced security to federal judges.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution respectfully petitioning the federal government to provide enhanced security for federal court judges.
Whereas, An attack at the home of Judge Esther Salas of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in July 2020 resulted in the killing of the judge's son, and critical injury to the judge's husband; and
Whereas, John H. Wood Jr., a judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Richard J. Daronco, a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Robert Smith Vance, commissioned to serve on the Fifth Circuit and later the Eleventh Circuit and John Roll, a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona are four federal judges killed in office since 1979, three of which killings occurred at each judge's personal residence; and
Whereas, Other attempts made on federal judges include a fatal attack at the home of Judge Joan Lefkow of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which killed the judge's husband and mother; and
Whereas, According to the December 2009 report, Review of the Protection of the Judiciary and the United States Attorneys, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, threats and inappropriate communications to federal judges, U.S. Attorneys, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSA) increased dramatically over several years, growing from 592 in fiscal year (FY) 2003 to 1,278 in FY 2008. Overall, during this 6-year period, there were 5,744 threats directed at these federal officials; and
Whereas, Threats and inappropriate communications to protected persons increased to 4,449 in FY 2019, and
Whereas, The United States Marshals Service (USMS) has responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of the more than 2,700 sitting federal judges, 28 U.S.C. § 564; and
Whereas, Providing additional protection for judicial security in the cyber realm, including, with the authorization of the protected personnel, the comprehensive removal of personal addresses and personal and family photos is one security measure that would make locating an individual via the internet more difficult to accomplish; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey respectfully petitions the Congress and President to enact legislation that provides additional protection for judicial security in any manner deemed appropriate including measures for protection of personal information and home and cyber security and funding to address these goals.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of the State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of the United States Congress elected from the State of New Jersey.
STATEMENT
This Assembly resolution respectfully petitions the federal government to provide additional protection for judicial security. A July 2020 incident involving a fatal attack at the home of United States District Court Judge Esther Salas, which resulted in the death of the judge's son and critical injury to the judge's husband, highlights the risks to personal security faced by judges outside of court facilities. Since 1979, four federal judges have been killed, three of which occurred in or near the judge's own residences, and other attempts, like the attack at the home of Judge Salas and Judge Joan Lefkow of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 2005, resulting in the death of family members.
Federal judges must make judicial decisions that can profoundly impact the lives of persons appearing before them, generating strong, emotional and occasionally violent reaction. While the federal government cannot eliminate all risks faced by federal judges in the performance of judicial duties, the federal government should enhance the protections for judges with an emphasis on risks outside federal facilities, similar to the $12 million Congress approved to fund the installation and upkeep of home security systems for federal judges by the United States Marshals Service (USMS) in 2005 following the murder of Judge Lefkow's family members.
