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The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007
The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 was signed into law on January 7, 2008. The goal of the bill was to create new penalties for individuals found guilty of threatening judges and their families, in addition to allocating additional resources to keep judges safe. The United States Marshalls provide security for federal court personnel.
Legislation passed in Congress
In 2007, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 (2007 S 378). The legislation created new criminal penalties for threatening judges and their families and provide additional resources for keeping judges and law enforcement officers safe. The legislation passed the United States Senate in 2007 on a wide bipartisan vote of 97-0.[1] A separate proposal in the United States House of Representatives (2007 HR 660) under the same name was passed by the House of Representatives on July 10, 2007.[2]
After a conference committee resolved differences between the House and Senate versions, the Senate passed The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007 (2007 HR 660) on December 17, 2007 on unanimous consent. On the same day, the House of Representatives approved the reconciled version of the bill on a majority voice vote. On January 7, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the bill into law (Public Law 110-177).[2]
The bill, which featured the following increased protections for the judiciary, had broad bipartisan support in Congress.[3]
Increased security funding and improvements
Authorized additional federal funding from 2007 to 2011 for:
- Increased hiring of deputy U.S. Marshals to provide security for judicial officers and U.S. attorneys.
- Allowed the Office of Protective Intelligence to provide secure computer systems to the federal courts.[3]
- Amended the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 which allows extensions until 2011 for the authority of the Judicial Conference of the United States to redact certain personal information of judges from financial disclosure reports.
Increased federal law protections
The bill allowed for increased protections for participants of the federal judiciary which included:
- Prohibited the possession of dangerous weapons in federal court facilities
- Allowed federal courts to switch venues for individuals on trial for threatening a federal judiciary employee or a member of their family.[3]
- Increased maximum federal prison terms for:
- Tampering with or retaliating against, a witness, victim, or informant in court.
- Voluntary and involuntary manslaughter; and assault against a federal judge, law enforcement officer, or immediate family members of such officials.
- Allows the Federal Sentencing Commission to review its sentencing guidelines relating to threats against a federal official carried out over the Internet.[3]
See also
External links
- Court Security Improvement Act of 2007, Public Law 110-177
- The Arizona Republic, "U.S. judiciary facing rise in death threats," July 9, 2009
Footnotes
- ↑ THOMAS, "Court Security Act of 2007" Search for S. 378 or The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Congressional Research Service, "Judicial Security: Responsibilities and Current Issues"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Government Printing Office, "Text of 2007 HR 660"
