Judiciary
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, which has jurisdiction over voting rights, today introduced the John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act. The measure, named for longtime Tennessee Congressman John Tanner, would require states to take their congressional apportionment out of the political process and place it in the hands of independent redistricting commissions.
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today questioned expert witnesses at a full Committee hearing on "Secrecy Orders and Prosecuting Leaks: Potential Legislative Responses to Deter Prosecutorial Abuse of Power."
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a hearing on "The Need to Enhance the Voting Rights Act: Preliminary Injunctions, Bail-in Coverage, Election Observers, and Notice."
In his opening statement, Congressman Cohen said in part:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today applauded the announcement by Attorney General Merrick Garland to file a challenge against Georgia's new restrictive voting laws. The case will be overseen by Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, two leading civil rights lawyers with extensive experience and expertise in protecting voting rights.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today spoke in favor of six measures aimed at reining in the power of Big Tech on the second day of the Committee's mark up of the legislation.
In his remarks, Congressman Cohen said in part:
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security hearing on "Undoing the Damage of the War on Drugs: A Renewed Call for Sentencing Reform."
In his remarks, Congressman Cohen noted what he called "the true reason for the War on Drugs" revealed by former Nixon Administration senior domestic adviser John Ehrlichman in a 1994 article in Harper's Magazine.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today presided at a hearing on "Potential Remedies for Unlawful Evictions in Federal Emergency Areas."
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, today questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray about whether the agency is investigating former President Trump's role in inciting the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In his exchange with the Director, Congressman Cohen said in part:
MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, today wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland to reiterate his position that the Department of Justice should comply with a District Court order and release a Barr Justice Department memorandum explaining its decision not to pursue obstruction of justice charges against former President Donald Trump.
SANTA FE, New Mexico -- Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today addressed remotely a meeting of the European Union – United States Parliamentary Consultation on Human Rights. He said he was speaking following the recent "unfortunate close call with authoritarianism" in the United States, and expressed concerns about the human rights outlook in Hong Kong, Belarus and Ukraine.
In his remarks, Congressman Cohen said in part: