According to a document obtained by CNN over the weekend, the Justice Department submitted a multitude of legislative proposals to Congress in order to deal with the virus and its impact on the judicial system. Among the proposals, the Justice Department is seeking the suspension of the statute of limitations while the country is in a state of emergency, video teleconferencing for preliminary hearings to limit the spread of the virus and priority virus testing for federal agents and trainees at Virginia’s Quantico base, which houses the FBI’s training academy.
The department also proposed allowing a district’s chief judge, after a request from the attorney general, to delay a judicial proceeding while a court is closed, “or partially closed because of a natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation.”
Justice Department spokesman Kerri Kupec outlined the need for the proposals in a Twitter thread Sunday night, saying the requests were “necessary to ensure that federal courts would be able to administer fair and impartial justice during pandemic.”
“The proposed legislative text confers powers upon judges. It does not confer new powers upon the executive branch,” Kupec tweeted. “These provisions are designed to empower the courts to ensure the fair and effective administration of justice.”
The proposals have been criticized by lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday the proposals were “abhorrent.”
“It does not matter how urgent times are, we have to make sure that we retain our civil rights and there’s no reason for us to be waiving folks’ civil rights in an emergency,” the New York Democrat said.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican too took issue with the Justice Department’s proposal and called for President Donald Trump to “please refute and disavow this immediately” in a tweet Saturday.
