Congressman Johnson, Sen. Hirono Push Judiciary To Be More Open, Accountable

Courts Subcommittee Ranking Member Introduces Open Meetings Act to Bring More Transparency to Judicial Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee over Federal Courts, introduced the Open Meetings Act, a bill that would require Judicial Conference meetings to be more open and accessible to the American people.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Senate companion.

Bill text here.

The Open Meetings Act would require the Judicial Conference to: provide public notice of any meeting 30 days beforehand - including the agenda - require audio of meetings be livestreamed that are accessible to the public without charge or registration - and published on the internet - and mandate that if the Judicial Conference wishes to have a closed session, it must state the reason for closing meetings to the public.

The Judicial Conference is the national policymaking body for the federal court system. Established by Congress, it sets guidelines for court administration, oversees the rules of practice and procedure, and advises Congress on legislation affecting the judiciary.

"There's no reason these meetings should be so secretive," said Rep. Johnson. "Americans have lost faith in the Roberts Court. This crisis of confidence is in part because of the perception of partisan politics, dark money in the court system, and blatant ethical violations. If Chief Justice Roberts is consulting AI companies before issuing rules for AI evidence, Americans deserve to know. If the Judicial Conference is going to change gift rules to make it easier for conservative groups to invest in cases, Americans deserve to know. Opening their proceedings to the public can help them regain the trust that's been eviscerated over the past three decades."

"The federal judiciary is a key pillar of our constitutional system of government," said Senator Hirono. "Americans need to have confidence that the judiciary is beholden only to the law and not to any ideological agendas or special interests. By requiring meetings of the judiciary's policymaking and administrative arm to be open to the public by default, this commonsense bill will help increase transparency and support that confidence."

WHAT THE GROUPS ARE SAYING

"Administrative bodies within the judiciary, including circuit-based judicial councils and the Judicial Conference's two dozen committees, make consequential decisions on ethics, disclosure, case management and IT policies when they meet, and there's no justification for excluding the public entirely from these proceedings," Fix the Court Executive Director Gabe Roth said. "I commend Rep. Johnson and Sen. Hirono for introducing legislation to improve public access to them while recognizing that closed sessions may at times be necessary to address sensitive matters. FTC is proud to support this good-government initiative to promote greater transparency in the traditionally insulated third branch."

"Transparency is a keystone to legitimacy. This is why court proceedings are open and why this bill is so important. The open policymaking this bill creates will build trust in the system at a time when it needs it most." - Free Law Project, a non-profit working to make the legal space more equitable and competitive

COSPONSORS

Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Delia C Ramirez (IL-03), Shri Thanedar (MI-13).

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