Judiciary Informs Congress of Its Opposition to Bill

The Judiciary has informed Congress that it opposes the proposed Judiciary Accountability Act. In a letter (pdf) to key lawmakers today, Judge Roslynn R. Mauskopf, secretary of the Judicial Conference of the United States, wrote that the bill “fails to recognize the robust safeguards that have been in place within the Judiciary to protect Judiciary employees, including law clerks, from wrongful conduct in the workplace, including protections against discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and abusive conduct.”

“Further, the bill interferes with the internal governance of the Third Branch; creates structures that compete with existing governing bodies and authorities within the Judiciary; and imposes intrusive requirements on Judicial Conference procedures,” Mauskopf wrote.

The Aug. 25 letter, sent to the House (pdf) and Senate (pdf) Judiciary Committees, was accompanied by a fact sheet explaining the many workplace protections already in place for Judiciary employees, including those adopted since 2018 when the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group issued two dozen recommendations for changes in policies and procedures. All of the recommendations have been implemented.