Washington, D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, top law enforcement officials and the D.C. Council met Tuesday to talk about proposed changes to the criminal code.
District leaders recently began overhauling D.C.’s criminal code which has not been updated in over 100 years. During the meeting, Bowser and the D.C. Council discussed the proposed changes and the impact they would have on the criminal justice system.
“The concept, we’re not opposed to, but we are opposed to placing that burden on our courts, which are experiencing a vacancy crisis and one that we locally can’t change,” Bowser said.
While both sides agree on most of the changes, Bowser warned some of the proposals could impact an already overburdened court system.
Council member Charles Allen, who chairs the committee in charge of the changes, said he supports allowing defendants charged with misdemeanors to request a jury trial if they could face jail time.
“That was something that got taken away in the 1990s. We've got to make sure we return the right to a jury court, and also make sure we work with the courts,” Allen said.
Bowser would like the changes to misdemeanor trials removed from the legislation and put on hold.
“It doesn’t have to move now, if the council thinks that it could be phased in and happen in 2030, what is the urgency in moving it right now before we have full information from the courts,” Bowser said.
In a letter to Allen, Anita Josey-Herring D.C.’s Superior Court’s chief judge warned the change would require more citizens to serve on juries and more judges to handle the cases.
Doug Buchanan, a D.C. Superior Court spokesperson told News4 that the courts are already stretched to the limit.
“Without swift and immediate action from federal lawmakers to address the ongoing judicial vacancy crisis within the D.C. courts, our ability to sustain an even greater workload than we are currently enduring is not feasible nor is it realistic,” Buchanan said.
According to the chief judge office, the courts are authorized by the federal government to have 62 judges but there are 14 current vacancies, and that number is expected to grow to 20 vacancies by the end of next year.
The District’s court system is run by the federal government and judges are appointed by the U.S. president which means local officials cannot do anything to increase the number of judges on the bench.
Bowser said she has urged the White House and the U.S. Senate to expedite the nominations of judges to D.C.’s courts.
The D.C. Council is expected to take its first vote on the criminal code changes in committee this week.
