Rep. Johnson Introduces Access to Justice Act in House

Press Release

On National Public Defenders Day, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04), along with Sen. Jon Ossoff (GA), introduced the Access to Justice Act, which would establish a federal public defender's office in the Southern District of Georgia, the Eastern District of Kentucky, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Co-leading the legislation in the House is Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands).

The Southern District of Georgia currently operates under a system that appoints private attorneys, who often have no legal expertise in their client's case, to defend people arrested and charged with federal crimes.

It's helped lead to a wide disparity in sentencing practices that too often disproportionately affect the poor and people of color.

"It's time for Congress to act," said Rep. Johnson, chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee that oversees federal courts. "Georgia's Southern District is probably one of the worst places in America to be poor and charged with a federal crime because of its lack of a federal defender office. The Access to Justice Act will root out this inequity and provide the kind of representation to which every American has a Sixth Amendment Constitutional right."

"This is about the Constitution. The Constitution guarantees every American access to a lawyer, but the Southern District of Georgia is one of just 3 Federal districts that does not offer a federal defender to Americans who need one. My bill will uphold the Constitution and ensure every Georgina has access to counsel," Sen. Ossoff said.

"The right to due process is a fundamental right of our nation's justice system, no matter where one lives or if one can pay for legal representation," said Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan. "By establishing federal defenders' offices in the Northern Mariana Islands, Eastern Kentucky, and Southern Georgia, the Access to Justice Act ensures the most vulnerable in our communities are afforded a Federal Public Defender that can protect their right to a fair trial, as guaranteed by the Constitution."

The legislation is supported by: Federal Public & Community Defenders; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL); Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL); Gideon's Promise; National District Attorneys Association (NDAA); Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA); Southern Center on Human Rights; FAMM; Prison Fellowship.

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