Congress and the Judiciary: What the House and Senate Can Do to Fix the Courts
Channel: R Street Institute
Date: 2019-05-15

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Find us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/r-street-institute/ Court reform is moving to the forefront of political discourse. On the 2020 presidential campaign trail, candidates are putting forth proposals on how to fix the federal courts. Last week, the Senate forced reform of its post-cloture debate time for judicial nominees, limiting debate time to two hours to address the large backlog of court vacancies. And last year, the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh set a new precedent for the politicization of both the confirmation process and Americans’ view of our judicial system.

Where does Congress hold power to initiate court reform? Are term limits the answer to court politicization? Is court packing a viable modernization route?

The American Institutions Network and the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group hold a discussion over which our distinguished panel of scholars wrestle with these questions and discuss steps Congress can take to ensure the health of America’s judiciary.

Panelists

Gabe Roth

Executive Director, Fix the Court

Anthony Marcum

Judicial Research Associate, Governance Project

R Street Institute

Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette

External Affairs Associate, Project on Government Oversight 

Dr. Tara Leigh Grove

Professor of Law, William & Mary Law School, specialized in Civil Procedure; Constitutional Law; Federal Courts; Statutory Interpretation