100% this -- we need civil rights lawyers and criminal defense lawyers on the judiciary. Right now it's mostly former government-side lawyers (mostly prosecutors). That's not a healthy balance when judges need to make sure individual rights are protected against govt overreach
This is urgent for many reasons, but I want to highlight it's especially critical for those interested in criminal justice reform. For far too long, the bench has turned a blind eye to government excess in criminal cases, from coercive plea practices to excessive sentences. /2
I have a chapter in my book, Prisoners of Politics, setting out all the areas where federal judges have fallen short. And I think one way to remedy this is to get a bench that is not so predisposed to take the government's side. /3
When you have more than 40% of the federal judiciary made up of former prosecutors, and only about 10% with criminal defense experience, you are not getting a balanced look at these cases. The Supreme Court is even worse. /4
We need more justices with the experience Thurgood Marshall had. I'm hoping to see people like Bryan Stevenson and @Sifill_LDF on the Supreme Court and throughout the federal judiciary. It's long past time to rebalance the bench. /5
If you want to read more, it's chapter 10 of my book. amazon.com/Prisoners-Poli… /end
