DOJ Has Quietly Asked Congress to Suspend Our Constitutional Rights During Coronavirus Crisis

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The Department of Justice has secretly asked Congress to pass legislation suspending our constitutionally-protected rights during the coronavirus response, according to reports.

The Department of Justice has secretly asked Congress to pass legislation suspending our constitutionally-protected rights during the coronavirus response, according to reports.

The draft legislation has been described as”absolutely terrifying” by constitutional law experts, who point out that emergencies are exactly the time we should be most careful about retaining our constitutional rights.

The new laws would allow a raft of unconstitutional activity from the government, including allowing chief judges to indefinitely detain Americans without trial and suspend other constitutional rights during coronavirus and other emergencies, according to a report by Politico’s Betsy Woodruff Swan.

“I find it absolutely terrifying. Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government.”

RollingStone report: The DOJ has requested Congress allow any chief judge of a district court to pause court proceedings “whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation,” according to draft language obtained by Politico.

This would be applicable to “any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil processes and proceedings.”

They justify this by saying currently judges can pause judicial proceedings in an emergency but that new legislation would allow them to apply it “in a consistent manner.

But the Constitution grants citizens habeas corpus which gives arrestees the right to appear in front of a judge and ask to be released before trial. Enacting legislation like the DOJ wants would essentially suspend habeas corpus indefinitely until the emergency ended. Further, DOJ asked Congress to suspend the statute of limitations on criminal investigations and civil proceedings during the emergency until a year after it ended.

Norman L. Reimer, executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, told Politico the measure was “terrifying,” saying, “Not only would it be a violation of [habeas corpus], but it says ‘affecting pre-arrest.’ So that means you could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying. Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government.”

That is something that should not happen in a democracy,” he added.

DOJ also asked Congress to amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to have defendants appear at a hearing via videoconference instead of in-person with the defendant’s consent, although in a draft obtained by Politico, the sections about requiring consent were crossed out. But it’s not just Americans’ rights the DOJ wants to violate. They also asked Congress to pass a law saying that immigrants who test positive for COVID-19 cannot qualify as asylum seekers.

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry

Baxter Dmitry is a writer at The People's Voice. He covers politics, business and entertainment. Speaking truth to power since he learned to talk, Baxter has travelled in over 80 countries and won arguments in every single one. Live without fear.
Email: baxter@thepeoplesvoice.tv
Baxter Dmitry

8 Comments

  1. They didnt create corona virus for no purpose .A coronas like a ring around the Sun isnt it ? See where they worship the sun really .That’s them .Pagans .Satanic pagans as their real religion Satanic pagans Thousands of years theyve been waiting to come out .

  2. Obama did this.

    DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NDAA IS? On December 31, 2011 Barack Obama signed the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act). Section 1021 Of this act allows for the President to detain anyone he wants, for any reason he wants, without a trial, without a lawyer, without ever seeing any family member again, be held anywhere in the world, indefinitely.

  3. totally illegal for judges to legislate from the bench. can’t be done. Laws are only made from congress, and congress only, any other “law” is totally illegal, and it is the citizen’s constitutional duty to not follow such illegal acts of treason.

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