Ways and Means Republicans Demand Answers from DOJ on Refusal to Return Wrongfully Seized Money
Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee want to know why the Department of Justice (DOJ) has denied petitions by Americans whose money was seized by the Internal Revenue…
In the Case of Fair Sentencing Act Retroactivity, USSC Report Lends Resounding Endorsement
Retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA) which became law in 2010 and reduced the sentencing disparity for crack and powder cocaine from 100-to-1 to 18-to-1 has been…
Omnibus Doesn’t Include Prohibition on DOJ’s Property Grab
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, H.R. 1625, is packed full of legislative priorities for leadership and other items to get enough votes for passage. Most of what was negotiated and slipped…
Congress Must Act on Four Legislative Priorities Mentioned in the State of the Union
In his State of the Union address one week ago today, President Donald Trump touted the widespread successes of tax reform legislation as well as his impressive rollback of regulatory…
“Unjust, Cruel, and Even Irrational”: Stacking Charges Under 924(c)
“I think the stacking issue is a problem…I would support reform of the stacking provisions somewhat like you have it in the bill today.” – Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), on…
Appropriations Bill Could Defund the Justice Department’s Effort to Take Property Without Due Process
The House of Representatives will consider the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, H.R. 3354. The bill consolidates the eight remaining appropriations measures for FY 2018, including Commerce,…
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
The United States Government seized more from private citizens than burglars in 2014. Current federal laws regarding civil asset forfeiture are overstepping private property rights under the Fifth Amendment…
States Lead the Way on Criminal Justice Reform
Over the past several months, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a step back on federal justice reform efforts, regressing to purportedly “tough on crime” stances. From advising increased…
Cutting back on Mandatory Minimums: Limiting Federal Power
Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo to his staff last month that instructs prosecutors to charge suspects with the most serious provable offenses, "those that carry the most…
New Sentencing Memo Takes a Step Back on Justice Reform Efforts
Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a memo in which he ordered federal prosecutors to seek the toughest penalties for nonviolent drug offenders. The result of this change…