VIDEO: Senator Coons chairs Judiciary Committee hearing on closing the civil justice gap

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) chaired a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today on ways to make the civil justice system more accessible to every American. 

The hearing, entitled “Closing the Justice Gap: How to Make the Civil Justice System Accessible to All Americans,” highlighted how millions of low-income Americans struggle to receive proper legal help for civil legal problems such as obtaining restraining orders against domestic abusers, tenant’s rights issues stemming from conflicts with landlords, and veterans’ struggles to obtain the benefits their service entitles them to receive. This creates a “justice gap” between those who are unable to secure the representation they need to secure their legal rights and their wealthier counterparts who can afford access to counsel.  

Participants emphasized the need for additional funding for civil legal aid agencies and discussed innovative solutions for providing more low-income Americans with access to legal services. Veronica Gonzalez, a former client of Legal Aid Chicago who now sits on the Legal Aid Chicago board of directors, delivered powerful testimony as a domestic abuse survivor, sharing details on how multiple legal aid organizations provided her with the assistance she needed to secure an order of protection and custody of her child. 

Additional featured witnesses at today’s hearing included Ronald S. Flagg, president of Legal Services Corporation; Nathan L. Hecht, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas; and Nikole Nelson, CEO of Frontline Justice.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Coons is committed to helping every American, regardless of income, access legal advice and services. As part of this effort, Senator Coons introduced the bipartisan Driving for Opportunity Act with Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) last year, which would provide incentives to states that choose to end debt-based driver’s license suspensions.

A video and transcript of Senator Coons’ opening remarks are available below.

WATCH HERE:

Senator Coons: Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will examine the gap that exists between the civil needs of low-income Americans and the services available to help meet those needs. Chair [Dick] Durbin [D-Ill.] asked me to preside at today’s hearing, and I’m grateful for the honor of doing so. On Chair Durbin’s behalf, I also want to thank Ranking Member [Lindsey] Graham [R-S.C.] and his staff for working on a bipartisan basis to put together today’s consensus witness panel, and I look forward to some opening remarks by Senator [Thom] Tillis [R-N.C.], Senator [Richard] Blumenthal [D-Conn.], and we will be joined, I understand, by Chair Durbin later in this hearing. 

It has been more than 15 years since the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the civil justice gap. The reality that we really have two justice systems in this country – one for those who have the resources to hire counsel, and one for those who don’t – has only become more stark in those 15 years. Three-quarters – three-quarters – of low-income American households experienced at least one civil legal problem per year. Only a fraction seek legal help and get it because of the high cost of legal services. That means that vast swaths of legal issues low-income Americans face, month in and month out, go unaddressed. Landlord-tenant, debt collection, public benefits, domestic violence, consumer rights; the list is long. To be clear, these aren’t meritless cases; when you give these folks lawyers, when they are able to secure representation, they’re nearly seven times more likely to win their cases than when they’re unrepresented. To make matters worse, Congress, for decades, has failed to adequately fund the Legal Services Corporation [LSC], the largest single funder of civil legal aid in the United States. As we mark LSC’s 50th anniversary this year, Congress is funding the organization at about half the inflation-adjusted dollars it appropriated in the 1980s. 

There’s been progress in my home state of Delaware – you knew I was going to have to focus something positive on Delaware. Our three largest civil legal aid organizations have partnered to raise funds and provide legal services to the Delawareans who most need them. In 2023, our state took a major step: Our legislature passed a law that guaranteed a right to representation to low-income Delawareans in landlord-tenant matters and appropriated new funds to make that right a reality. Legal Services Corporation of Delaware and Delaware Community Legal Aid have been able to staff up, hiring new lawyers to take on these cases, and they’ve helped more low-income Delawareans stay in their homes and to settle or resolve landlord-tenant disputes promptly. That’s better for the clients, for the families, their communities – I would argue for landlords – and for our whole state. Delaware did something else I want to highlight: with signoff from our Supreme Court, the state created a qualified tenant advocate program to help handle the influx of cases. These advocates are not members of the Delaware bar. They undergo a rigorous training program to handle the basics of landlord-tenant cases and often come from the communities they serve. As someone who did identical work as a law student, I understand how it is possible for folks who are not members of the bar to be very effective and engaged advocates in such cases. That program in Delaware has been a big success, and it shows that with some out-of-the-box thinking, states and legal aid agencies can help more people with more issues even when attorneys are in short supply.

Finally, I want to highlight how the issues of this hearing relate to another problem I’m concerned about addressing, and for which we have bipartisan legislation: the practice in many states to suspend driver’s licenses for folks when they are too poor to pay court-related fines or fees. Not only do we not adequately help people meet their civil legal needs, we then further keep them down by taking away their ability to get to work and earn the money needed to pay off fines and meet those needs for their families. This creates a vicious downward cycle. I’m proud to lead the Driving for Opportunity Act with Republican Senator Roger Wicker that encourages states to stop this counterproductive practice. It has many bipartisan co-sponsors, including Senators Blumenthal and Tillis, Durbin, [Chuck] Grassley [R-Iowa] … and [Cory] Booker [D-N.J.]. Law enforcement organizations endorse it because they don’t want police officers acting as collections agents. Civil rights advocates endorse it because they want to see us stop these so-called “debt traps.” I’m proud Delaware’s also recently passed model legislation to address this and other issues in the fines and fees space. In short, both of these examples give me hope we can come together to address the issues we will hear about today from our talented panel.

Senator Coons, colleagues introduce bipartisan, bicameral bill to create foundation to support U.S. leadership in emerging technology

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) introduced a bill to establish a nonprofit foundation that would support the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) by bolstering public-private collaboration on U.S. technological innovation and competitiveness.

Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST works to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness in science and technology. In the First State, NIST supports the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), a public-private partnership focused on solving challenges in biopharmaceutical production and developing Delaware’s workforce for the future. The Expanding Partnerships for Innovation and Competitiveness (EPIC) Act would establish a foundation to help NIST achieve its mission. Congress has established similar foundations to support the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other federal agencies.  

“NIST plays a critical role in ensuring American leadership in science and technology,” said Senator Coons. “The EPIC Act, by establishing a nonprofit foundation to support NIST, would fuel public-private partnerships and mobilize resources to support U.S. leadership on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotech, and quantum computing. This bipartisan, bicameral bill already has widespread support, and I encourage my colleagues to sign on.”

“Maintaining and encouraging research and development in the United States is critical to winning the technological race against China and other adversaries,” said Senator Young. “Our bipartisan legislation will support these efforts by establishing an independent foundation to identify and foster innovative public-private partnerships across the country and strengthen the American economy.”

“Whether it’s AI or quantum computing, the United States is pushing the boundaries of technological innovation on all fronts,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “There are no second chances with technologies this powerful; NIST needs every tool at its disposal to ensure responsible R&D from the start.”

“America should leverage every possible resource to stay ahead of adversaries like China,” said Senator Fischer. “Our bill will encourage public-private collaboration to keep the United States at the forefront of emerging technologies, including AI, cybersecurity, advanced computing, and more. A bipartisan coalition in Congress recognizes the need for our legislation, and I look forward to advancing the EPIC Act in the Senate.”

Specifically, the EPIC Act would establish a nonprofit Foundation for Standards and Metrology, enabling NIST to: 

• Mobilize private and philanthropic funding to support critical scientific and technical initiatives.
• Collaborate more closely with the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education.
• Train the emerging technology workforce of the future and retain top talent at the agency.

The EPIC Act is endorsed by four former directors of NIST as well as SEMI Americas, the Semiconductor Industry Association, NIST Coalition, SPIE, SeedAI, Institute for Progress, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Center for AI Policy, Telecommunications Industry Association, Institute for AI Policy and Strategy, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Colorado Boulder, Americans for Responsible Innovation, Chainguard, CJW Quantum Consulting, American Physical Society, ACT | The App Association, CivAI, SandboxAQ, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Google. 

Additional supporters of the EPIC Act can be found here. 

Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, which was cleared unanimously by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

The full text of the bill is available here. 

A one-pager of the bill is available here.

Senators Coons, Tillis call for release of human rights defenders across Latin America

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Co-Chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, released the following statement today:

“In less than one month, the Venezuelan people will go to the polls to vote in elections that are neither free nor fair. President Nicolás Maduro has consistently undermined democracy, rule of law, and the electoral process in his country. Under his regime, innocent civilians have disappeared and been detained, tortured, and imprisoned for expressing any dissenting opinion against the government. As we approach the July 28 election date, it is critical that we bring attention to the widespread injustices that human rights defenders under Maduro’s regime are facing every day.

“At the same time, we also cannot forget about ongoing human rights abuses not only in Venezuela, but across the Western Hemisphere. Latin America remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for human rights defenders. In 2023, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported the murder of at least 126 human rights defenders. It is imperative that we do everything we can to support the work of human rights defenders who risk their lives every day to advocate for greater freedoms in their country.

“Specifically, we call for the immediate and unconditional release of:

·         Rocío San Miguel, a widely respected security expert and vocal critic of the Maduro regime, who has been wrongfully imprisoned since February for her advocacy of civilian oversight of Venezuela’s security apparatus;

·         Human rights defender Javier Tarazona, who remains wrongfully detained since 2021 for his outspokenness against human rights abuses committed by Venezuelan security forces, including through the documentation of connections between the Venezuelan military and armed groups;

·         Former anticorruption prosecutor Virginia Laparra, who is under house arrest and facing arbitrary criminal charges for her judicial work to defend rule of law and justice in Guatemala; and

·         Artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Castillo Pérez, who have been sentenced to five and nine years in prison, respectively, for their tireless efforts to protect freedom of expression and artistic freedom in Cuba.”

In addition to serving as Co-Chair of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, Senator Coons is Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Coons statement on Trump v. United States decision

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today after the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Trump v. United States, concluding that a former president is entitled to criminal immunity for official, but not unofficial, acts:

“I am disappointed by this decision, which establishes that presidents can break the law as long as they do so in an ‘official’ capacity. At its core, the court’s ruling is deeply and inherently un-American. It violates the fundamental constitutional principle that no one is above the law. It will only serve to embolden those who seek to use the office of the presidency to undermine our democratic system, the rule of law, and the peaceful transition of power. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor closed by saying that she fears for our democracy. I share that fear as well.

“Apart from blessing lawlessness, this decision will most likely delay former President Trump’s criminal trial on election interference beyond Election Day, preventing the American people from casting their ballots equipped with a full accounting of President Trump’s efforts to block the transfer of power following the 2020 election. However, this decision is not the end of the story. The Supreme Court made it clear that former presidents enjoy no immunity for unofficial actions, and I am confident that the special counsel will be permitted to continue to trial on at least some of his charges against former President Trump. There is nothing ‘official’ about an attempt to overturn a free and fair election.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Coons statement on Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron deference doctrine

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today after the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. v. Department of Commerce, ruling that federal courts must not defer to the expert opinions of federal agencies when asked to interpret ambiguous laws:

“Once again, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has overturned a commonsense precedent that has served the country well for four decades. This is a power grab that will turn federal courts into policymakers, authorizing judges to rule on technical issues without the benefit of agency subject matter experts who serve in an equal branch of government. This decision will jeopardize regulations on everything from the environment, to health and safety, to consumer protection. 

“The American people’s trust in the Supreme Court and our federal judiciary is already at all-time lows. The last thing that they want is for the courts to start writing regulatory policy, too.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committe.

Senators Carper, Coons join colleagues in sponsoring new legislation to outlaw deadly bump stocks

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined over two dozen senators in cosponsoring the Banning Unlawful Machinegun Parts (BUMP) Act, led by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). In the wake of this month’s ruling by the Supreme Court overturning an executive branch rule banning bump stocks, the BUMP Act would statutorily ban the sale of these deadly devices that allow semiautomatic weapons to rapidly fire multiple rounds like machine guns, and in turn, inflict the highest number of casualties in the shortest amount of time.  

Bump stocks were previously banned by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2018 following their use in a mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 60 people and wounded more than 400, the deadliest mass shooting in American history. However, the Supreme Court invalidated the ATF’s regulatory ban on bump stocks with its ruling in Garland v. Cargill, holding that only Congress can create a federal ban on bump stocks through legislation. Immediately following the Supreme Court’s decision, President Biden called on Congress to pass legislation banning bump stocks, stating that he would immediately sign it into law. 

“As Justice Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion, the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing bump stocks back into our communities could have deadly consequences. That’s why I’m proud to co-sponsor the BUMP Act, which would ban bump stocks and ensure these dangerous weapons are taken off our streets,” said Senator Carper. “Too many Delawareans know the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence, and make no mistake: I will never stop fighting to end America’s gun violence epidemic. I urge my colleagues in Congress to support this life-saving legislation and promptly pass it into law.”

“It’s simple: the longer the Supreme Court’s decision reversing the ban on bump stocks is allowed to remain the law of the land, the more likely it is that Americans will die in horrific acts of mass violence,” said Senator Coons. “Congress needs to act immediately to reinstate the bump stock ban and keep these dangerous weapons off of our nation’s streets. I’m proud to cosponsor the BUMP Act, and I urge Congress to swiftly take up this bill to reverse the Court’s misinterpretation of our laws.”

In addition to Carper and Coons, the new cosponsors of the BUMP Act are Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i). The bill was originally cosponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

The BUMP Act has been endorsed by numerous gun safety organizations, including Everytown for Gun Safety, GIFFORDS, Brady, March for Our Lives, Newtown Action Alliance, March Fourth, Violence Policy Center, and New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. 

U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.) has introduced bipartisan companion legislation in the House. There are 145 total cosponsors of Titus’s bill in the House.  

The full text of the BUMP Act is available here.  

A fact sheet is available here. 

Senator Coons statement on Moyle v. United States decision

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal in Moyle v. United States, returning the case to the lower court and reinstating an order blocking an Idaho law that banned abortions in all cases except when the mother’s life is at risk:

“The Court’s action today restores – at least temporarily – the ability of doctors in Idaho to provide stabilizing treatment to all patients who arrive at an emergency room, even when that treatment includes emergency abortion care. I welcome that development,  but make no mistake: This is not a lasting victory for reproductive freedoms or for our constitutional system, where federal law should trump conflicting state law. All the Court has done here is left the question for another day.

“The Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade two years ago has made our country less safe for women. I remain committed to fighting new attempts to roll back reproductive rights so that nothing – and no one – stands between a woman and her doctor.”

Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Senator Coons statement on developments in Kenya

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today after reports that protestors in Nairobi attacked the Kenyan parliament building and several protestors had been killed:

“I’m heartsick about today’s developments in Kenya. Of course, the Kenyan people have the right to peacefully protest government policies that directly impact their wellbeing, but violence has no place in the democratic process. The police must also exercise restraint when managing demonstrations and uphold basic human rights. Kenya has worked so hard to build its democracy —  I encourage all sides to restore peace and respect the rule of law.” 

Senator Coons is Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

ICYMI: Senator Coons highlights drops in border encounters and crime during Fox News Sunday interview

WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) sat for an interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream yesterday, where he highlighted President Biden’s attempts to create a fair and effective immigration system using executive orders in the absence of congressional action. After Senate Republicans flip-flopped on an immigration compromise negotiated by several senators, including Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), President Biden introduced two executive orders to reform the asylum process and provide stability to undocumented spouses of American citizens who have lived here for more than a decade. Border encounters have fallen by as much as 25% since President Biden’s asylum order was enacted.

Senator Coons also highlighted the decline in crime that has occurred nationwide under President Biden. After peaking in 2020, violent crime has declined every year during the Biden administration, thanks in part to increases in funding for law enforcement that were included in the American Rescue Plan.

Senator Coons: The other executive order President Biden signed strengthens border enforcement and makes it harder for those coming to our southern border to seek asylum. On balance, we’ve already seen the number of encounters at the border go down as a result. But the stronger, more effective action to address border security and our broken immigration system would be real legislation passed by Congress. It’d be more permanent; it would bring more resources that would actually solve the problem. My friend, conservative Republican Senator James Lankford, and several others – Senators [Chris] Murphy and Kyrsten Sinema – put forward a bipartisan deal that would have done that a few months ago. It wasn’t signed into law only because former President Trump campaigned heavily against it the day before we took it up.

…

I hope folks will pay attention to what the former president has said and done on law enforcement. He called for defunding the FBI. It’s the FBI that is enforcing federal laws and is helping make our country safer. We also have seen a significant drop in crime under President Biden, who has invested in law enforcement nationally. The American Rescue Plan funded federal, state, and local law enforcement at record levels.

Watch the full interview here.

Senator Coons statement on FDIC nominee

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today regarding President Biden’s nomination of Christy Goldsmith Romero to be the next Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC):

“I welcome President Biden’s nomination of Christy Goldsmith Romero to serve as the next Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. During her decade of experience as the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, Goldsmith Romero led efforts to oversee and strengthen distressed financial institutions. More recently, as a Commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, she has advanced the integrity and resilience of U.S. markets. Goldsmith Romero has the experience and expertise needed to lead the FDIC, and I call on my colleagues in the Senate to quickly approve her nomination.”